James Potter Chronicles: Year Five
by Mean St
Summary: Things are finally going James' way as he has become friends with Lily Evans. But staying in Lily's good graces proves harder than James foresees, especially when he and the Marauders finally unlock the secret of becoming Animagi. Tensions will boil over, lives will be endangered, and friendships will end. And all the while, Voldemort continues to grow stronger...
1. Plots and Pranks

1

The Ministry of Magic, as it was wont to be, was abuzz with activity. The Floo Passages were flooded with workers arriving to start their day, while simultaneously allowing the nigh shift workers to exit. The Department of Magical Maintenance had evidently decided that a nice thunder and lightning storm would be the order of the day, filling the main hall with the crackling sonic booms to augment that chatter of busy workers as they went about their daily routines.

It was days such as this that Dolores Umbridge loved coming to work.

She strode purposefully through the hall, walking as she always dead in a straight line—daring other Ministry employees not to move out of her way. As usual they parted for her, her flowery attire setting her apart from the humdrum busy bodies of the Ministry. She held her chin high to exude authority and dominance over those around her. Everything about her appearance and the way she conducted herself was carefully planned and methodically executed to show that, in spite of her position as a Junior Clerk in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, she was a force to be reckoned with.

She boarded the elevator and requested Level Two, noting with annoyance that several of the Ministry peons held back and refused to board the elevator with her, pretending to get stuck in idle conversation with their fellow colleagues whom—Umbridge knew well—they had never spoken to before. But she paid it no further mind as the elevator doors shut and she began her ascent; she knew the changes that were coming within the Ministry, and she knew that before long these people would no longer be able to merely hide and avoid her—they would be reporting to her directly.

In the previous year, the Ministry of Magic had suffered severe losses. A Dark Wizard calling himself Lord Voldemort was gathering strength and an alarming number of followers. This did not sit particularly well with Umbridge. She had spent her career to this point learning and mastering the political system of the British Ministry of Magic. While she found herself quite sympathetic to some of the Dark Lord's ambitions, she was not altogether keen on the idea of serving under a dictator that _wasn't _her. Indeed, she had her eye on the position of Minister for Magic as her ultimate end game, and Voldemort's gathering strength and popularity was posing a threat to her carefully laid plans.

But for the moment, he had actually done her a favor. He had single handedly caused the almost complete annihilation of the Auror Office, the Ministry's first and most feared line of defense. This had stretched the Ministry to a near breaking point as they were now hideously understaffed. Millicent Bagnold, the Minister for Magic, had subsequently come under fire from the Magical community for not doing enough to replace the Aurors. While it was quite obviously a simple matter of there being a lack of willing applicants, Umbridge was quite content to watch the Minister scramble to accommodate the cries of the community which she served.

Her own supervisor, Bartemius Crouch, was set to offer her a new promotion. True, she was up against Madam Bones for the position, but Umbridge had paid her dues for a good length of time, whereas Bones' biggest claim to fame was being released from her responsibilities as a professor at Hogwarts' School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for teaching James Potter the Unforgiveable Curses to use in life threatening situations.

_James Potter…_

An ugly frown crossed Umbridge's face as the elevator opened onto the second level. Never before had she come across an obstacle quite like the impertinent son of the former Auror. Brash, exceedingly arrogant and rather unfortunately charismatic, James Potter had developed something of a cult following in the Magical Community. His extraordinary good fortune in evading the grip of not only the fugitive Gilles Rochefort, but Lord Voldemort himself, had earned him the nickname 'Untouchable Potter'. A reputation that Umbridge had positively salivated at the thought of crushing.

It was with that in mind that she—as a member of the Wizengamot—had endeavored to send James Potter to Azkaban Prison after his failed attempt to cast the Killing Curse on Rochefort. But, most unfortunately for her, she had found herself unable to convict him. Bartemius Crouch had convinced the rest of the Wizengamot to let them go, and—worse—to enact what was now being called 'Potter's Law', which would allow the Auror's Office to use Unforgiveable Curses against Lord Voldemort's followers if it was able to make it through Millicent Bagnold's rigorous approval process.

And thus, James Potter's star continued to grow. Umbridge thought that perhaps she had found an in to smear his name that very Spring, when James Potter had once again been whisked away by Rochefort. James Potter had been in Godric's Hollow the night that the Aurors were all but destroyed, and she had attempted to question him on the matter. It was then that the unspeakable event had occurred—the little red haired girl, the filthy Mudblood—had sullied Umbridge's face in a display of Muggle fighting tactics that Umbridge had neither anticipated nor expected. Lily Evans had punched Umbridge, and to add insult to injury, she had been allowed to get away with it.

_All because Dumbledore's assertion that Potter shouldn't have been questioned…and Evans was just defending him._

Umbridge strolled into her office and exhaled heavily. No matter. James Potter and Lily Evans had made it to the very top of Umbridge's personal revenge list. They had crossed her one time too many, cost her both personal and professional humiliation, and she had made a solemn vow to herself that one day—perhaps not today, perhaps not for years—one day, she would exact revenge upon those two arrogant fools for all of the grief they had caused her.

She sat at her desk and received her first clue that something was amiss. She kept a small, hand-written calendar on her desk, a calendar that only she ever wrote on. But there was something else on it—handwriting that was completely foreign to her. She squinted to make out the words, so crudely composed that it looked as though a child had written it.

'Enervate office?' she murmured to herself.

The result was instantaneous—her chair lurched up off the floor, catapauling her up towards the ceiling. She cried out, throwing her hands over her face to protect herself, but she then bounced off the ceiling with astonishing force before hurtling back towards her desk. She cowered again, but as if she was bouncing off a large rubber ball, she rebounded back towards the ceiling—this continued over and over again as she bounced around her walls, ceiling and floor. It quickly dawned on her that all of the surfaces in her office has been bewitched to bounce her, and she was rapidly gaining velocity. She tried to aim herself back towards her desk where her wand sat neatly next to her notebook. She finally grasped it and cried 'Finite!'

Rather than cease the insanity, however, more things happened. A raging cacophony of noise filled the office and her desk clattered to life and began dancing as a bizarre song met her ears.

'_HELP!_

_I need somebody,_

_HELP!_

_Not just anybody,_

_HELP!_

_You know I need someone,_

_HELP!'_

'WHAT IS THIS?' Umbridge roared as she bounced off the floor and rocketed back towards her desk, ricocheting off of that and smashing up into the ceiling once more. 'Finite! Finite! FINITE!' she screamed.

As suddenly as the bouncing began, she crashed back to the floor in a heap. Groaning, she looked up as her tap dancing desk began marching towards her, the absurd song continuing to play from an unknown source. The desk's legs reached out and grabbed her, causing her to cry out as it spun her in an absurd dance move.

'Madam Umbridge?' came a voice from behind the door. 'Is everything alright?'

'NO IT BLOODY WELL ISN'T!' Umbridge screamed.

'_Help me if you can, I'm feeling down…'_ the song sang.

'Open the door!' came the voice from the other side of it.

'I CAN'T! MY DESK HAS ME TRAPPED!'

'…_and I do appreciate you being 'round…'_

'Your what has you trapped?' the voice asked incredulously.

'MY DESK!' Umbridge roared as it tossed her into the air effortlessly, causing her to shriek in fear as she crashed into the ceiling of her office once more.

'…_help me get my feet back on the ground…'_

Another voice sounded outside the door. 'Open it up, already, will you?'

'I can't! It seems to be bewitched!' came the first voice. 'Nothing's working!'

'…_won't you please, please help me!'_

'JUST BLAST IT OPEN!' Umbridge roared.

'But we need approval to do that—' came one of the voices.

'DAMN THE APPROVAL! JUST BLAST THE BLOODY THING OPEN, I AM ORDERING YOU!'

'Ordering, who does she think she is?' said a female voice.

'Doesn't matter—get back, I'll do it,' said the first male voice.

The door exploded inwards off its hinges and Umbridge saw a number of Ministry officials there. Before they could so much as move, however, the rest of Umbridge's office furniture came to life—a filing cabinet leapt forward, battering the first man back by opening and closing its drawers in rapid succession. Umbridge's chair tried to shove the door back into place to block the Ministry officials from coming in, and they began using their wands to try and beat them back—but each time they tried to use a curse or hex, the furniture simply multiplied and converged on them.

'Merlin's Beard!' cried one of the men.

'What do we do?' shouted the woman who had squeezed herself into the office, doing her best to avoid a painting of a cat that was hopping up and down on her head.

'Get Crouch! Now! Somebody!' shouted another man from the hallway was he tried to keep more bits and pieces of furniture from escaping the room to wreak havoc elsewhere.

'WILL SOMEONE TURN OFF THAT BLOODY RACKET!' Umbridge hollered as she was bounced up and down over and over again by her desk, her rapidly multiplying office furniture dancing furiously to the music, the clunking and clattering of their racket drowning out all but the loudest of shouts from their crew.

'_Won't you please, please help me! Help Me! HELP MEEEEEEEeeeeeeeOooooohhh…'_ the voice crooned as one of the men grabbed the source, a strange looking little record player.

'How do I turn it off?' he shouted helplessly, looking desperately for some sort of guidance.

'It sounds like it's ended,' the woman said in a relieved tone of voices as she swatted futilely at the painting hopping on her head.

'THEN GET ME DOWN!' Umbridge shouted.

Bartemius Crouch appeared in the door and stared in slack-jawed amazement—at that exact moment, all of the furniture in the office stopped exactly what it was doing and promptly saluted him. He frowned as Umbridge crashed to the ground, her desk having dropped her as it turned to salute him as well. He motioned for Umbridge to come to him. 'Quickly and quietly,' he said and everyone inched backwards out of the office. 'Close the door,' Crouch whispered and one of the men rushed forward to do so. The second he touched the door, he was launched backwards into the hallway, the door slamming into place back in its door frame. The name printed on the door changed before their eyes—where before it had said 'DOLORES J. UMBRIDGE, JUNIOR CLERK, DEPARTMENT OF MAGICAL LAW ENFORCEMENT' it now read something different entirely.

'What the hell does that mean?' asked one of Crouch's assistants tentatively.

'I've no idea,' Crouch said as he squinted at the sign. 'Dolores? Any theories?' he asked.

Umbridge stared at the new sign—she could not be sure. She had no proof, and the list of fail safes, security features, and personnel that they would have had to have gone through in order to breach her office was utterly alarming. But as she stared at the sign, she was filled with a sense of certainty that she knew exactly who had done this to her.

The new sign read;

'_Official Ministry of Magic Headquarters of the Marauders. Dumbridge can bog off.'_


	2. Covers and Condoning

2

The sleepy village of Godric's Hollow was just beginning to stir for the day. The sun was already high in the sky, its brilliant yellow shine casting away the last flecks of dark blue sky that signaled the night. In spite of the fact that some people were moving about and starting their daily routines, it was still mostly quiet in the streets of the small town.

The roar of the flying motorbike's engine changed that, as Sirius Black turned into a hairpin dive down towards the main street. In the tiny side compartment of the car, Peter Pettigrew let out a terrified squeal as Sirius whooped with delight, pulling up at the last moment and setting the bike down gently with a light bump on the cobbled road.

Remus Lupin came to a skidding halt not too far from them, riding on a Comet Two Sixty broom, his long hair blown back from his prematurely aging face. Despite being only fifteen years old, Remus looked as though he had already lived several lifetimes more than that—although his face was cracked into an elated smile now.

That smile was nothing compared to the final pair that came scorching down towards the cobbled stone. James Potter guided his Nimbus 1500 towards the pavement at breakneck speed while his passenger Lily Evans kept her arms wrapped tightly around his midsection, her bright green eyes peering over his shoulder as he spun them rapidly, pulling out of his whirling dive and stopping in mid-air next to Sirius. James was grinning goofily as he looked at his friends.

'I think I'm going to be sick,' Peter said from the side compartment of the bike. He had a distinctly green hue to him.

'I told you that you should have come with me,' Remus chuckled as he hopped off his broom.

Peter moaned as Sirius barked with laughter. The bike began to rumble along the street as they all moved back towards the house.

'At least you weren't flying with Potter, Peter,' Lily said kindly as she ran a hand through her windswept hair.

James snorted. 'Come on, Evans—you know you were never in danger,' he said smugly.

Lily rolled her eyes. 'Tell that to the seven forty-seven you almost hit.'

'Oh is _that_ what that was?' James laughed. Sirius joined him, the two delighting in their own clever flying theatrics. Remus and Lily exchanged a look that was somewhat akin to parents sighing in exasperation over their children. 'I thought it was too big to be a bird.'

Sirius laughed. 'I think the bloke driving it might have gotten a good look at you, though,' he said. 'I saw his eyes. They were as big as dinner plates.'

Peter groaned. 'Are we going to get in trouble for that?'

'Only if he tells someone—and only if that someone believes him,' James added with a roguish grin.

Lily sighed. 'Next time, I'll fly.'

James chuckled. 'You'll fly when I want to end up as a James-flavored pancake on the front of a seven-whatsit-seven,' he declared.

Lily stuck her tongue out at him as they reached the front yard of the Potter House. James quickly glanced up at the window to his parents' room—the lights were still out, which he took as a hopeful sign that they were still in bed.

'We really should have gotten back earlier,' Peter said worriedly.

Sirius waved a hand dismissively. 'Come on, we had to make sure nobody would get to the office before Dumbridge did,' he said. 'And then it was a task just to avoid being seen by her.'

'I don't know about that,' Remus mused. 'I think I'd take getting seen by her over getting caught red-handed by your Dad.'

James motioned for everyone to be silent as they crossed the yard. Sirius jogged his bike around to the small garage they had constructed that summer especially for it. James and Remus approached the door first, opening it and rushing to the broom closet to stash their brooms.

'Remember the story,' James said firmly as Sirius rejoined them. 'We decided to get together for breakfast. To the kitchen, now!'

They moved stealthily through the living room and entered the kitchen. Remus and Peter went first, followed by Sirius and Lily. James went last and promptly collided into Lily's back as she had stopped short. 'What's the hold up—oh,' James said flatly.

Mr. Potter was sitting at the breakfast table, a cup of tea in his hand and an unopened edition of the Daily Prophet sitting on the table. The last year had not been overly kind to him—his hair was white and thinning, he had lost most of his muscle definition, and he looked perpetually tired. His hazel eyes, however, were alive with the same fire that had made him so formidable as the head of the Auror Office in his day. His face was unreadable as he took in the scene before him—James, Sirius, Remus, Peter and Lily, all arriving at once, all clearly having just taken a flight somewhere, and all looking as though they had been caught with a smoking gun in their hands.

'Good morning,' Mr. Potter said. His tone was pleasant, but his face remained an impassive mask.

'G—g—good morning, Mr. Potter,' Peter stammered.

Sirius waved casually, Remus nodded, Lily grimaced and James smirked.

'I've just heard a rather interesting story,' Mr. Potter said casually as he took a sip from his tea cup, his eyes now focused squarely on James. 'Can you imagine what that was?'

James cleared his throat. 'Not that Mr. Higgins' dog has been on the loose again? He should Transfigure that thing into a newt,' he lied. Sirius laughed nervously.

'No, it was not about Mr. Higgins' dog,' Mr. Potter said as he placed his cup of tea down. 'This news comes from London.' He paused as everyone squirmed uncomfortably under his gaze. 'Where have you all just come from?'

All five of them answered at once.

'We came for breakfast!' Remus said.

'Potter invited us over!' Lily added.

'It was my idea—told them to come for breakfast,' Sirius said.

'I told them all to come round for breakfast,' James said.

'James invited us to eat him!' Peter stammered.

Everyone turned to look at Peter who had flushed red. 'I mean—you know what I mean—he invited us _here_ to eat _breakfast_,' he said hastily.

James looked back at his father, fighting off the urge to grimace as Mr. Potter fixed Peter with a piercing gaze. Peter did his best to find a hole on the floor to study curiously as if his life depended on it.

Mr. Potter cleared his throat. 'You remember Dolores Umbridge, from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, I gather?' he asked. His tone could have been conversational.

'Rings a bell,' James said slowly.

'I should think so,' Mr. Potter said in false surprise. 'She tried to put you in Azkaban, and your lovely friend Ms. Evans kindly attempted to rearrange her face for her last year.'

Lily smiled bashfully, her cheeks flushing to match the color of her hair.

'So what about her?' Sirius asked, trying to sound as though he didn't know anything.

Mr. Potter drummed his fingers on the table. 'It seems that someone—or some people—broke into her office over the course of the evening,' he said. 'They placed charms on a number of items within the office, turning it into the equivalent of a bouncing gymnasium. To go along with that, her furniture began to dance and assault members of the staff, and the grand finale was that her door has sealed itself. They are unable to open it.'

James fought off the urge once again to look at Lily—inside, however, he was marveling at her charms ability.

'Sounds like a rough day at work,' Remus said softly.

'Indeed,' Mr. Potter replied. 'The only hint was a message left on the door—a group called the _Marauders_ claimed responsibility for this.'

'That's a coincidence,' Peter squeaked.

'Indeed. Very coincidental that the culprits would choose the same name for themselves that you have chosen for your little group,' Mr. Potter said. Again, his tone was conversational, but his piercing gaze had turned on James once again. 'Naturally, if there was any evidence that could possibly link the five of you to the incident, Umbridge would stop at nothing to hold you accountable.'

'So…they haven't got any evidence, then?' Sirius asked. James groaned, quickly turning it into a cough to mask the sound.

Mr. Potter glanced at Sirius. 'No, they haven't,' he said.

'So who told you all of this?' James asked.

'Alastor Moody, first,' Mr. Potter said. 'And then Dolores Umbridge herself. She called via the Floo Network—she was rather keen to speak to you.'

James swallowed. 'What did you tell her?'

'I told her that my son was asleep, and that I had no inclination of waking him up, let alone to talk to someone like her,' Mr. Potter replied. He glanced at the others. 'You all seem to have agreed that you were safe and sound in your own beds last night, and that you have just arrived here for breakfast this morning,' he said. 'Stick to that. Do I make myself understood?'

'Yes, sir,' everyone said at once.

Mr. Potter pursed his lips as he looked at them all. 'Why don't you all go up to James and Sirius' room,' he suggested. 'I'll get some breakfast sent up to you once I am done speaking to my son,' he said, fixing James with his stare once more.

The others slowly filed out of the room, each taking it in turn to shoot James a sympathetic look. He was faintly reminded of his trial before the Wizengamot the previous summer, where everyone was looking at him worriedly. Mr. Potter waited until they had all left the room before he motioned for James to sit down at the table across from him. He complied instantly.

Mr. Potter took a long sip from his cup of tea, draining the rest of it and then idly waving his wand, sending the cup neatly over to the sink. 'So,' he said after a moment. 'That was quite elaborate.'

'What do you mean?'

Mr. Potter smiled, and James was somewhat relieved to see that it was genuine. 'The prank, son,' he said. 'Don't try to pull anything over my eyes. We both know who was behind it.' He paused, a smirk playing over his face. 'Whose idea were the walls?'

'Sirius's,' James said, a smirk playing over his own face to mirror his father's.

Mr. Potter chuckled. 'Alastor could barely control himself when he called to give me the heads up about Umbridge,' he said with a sigh. 'Apparently, word of the amazing bouncing Umbridge has already spread like wildfire throughout the Ministry.'

James grinned. 'Sirius will be glad to hear it.'

'And what about the dancing furniture?' Mr. Potter asked.

'Peter,' James replied.

Mr. Potter shook his head. 'He's a surprising one,' he said. 'I wouldn't have thought of that. And I assume one of you must have charmed the entire office to start the mayhem once she said the magic words?' he asked.

'That was me,' James said.

'Well done,' Mr. Potter said with a slight nod of his head.

'Remus did the multiplying charm,' James said. 'He also left the note on the door.'

Mr. Potter nodded. 'And who sealed the door?'

'Evans,' James replied.

Mr. Potter shook his head again, grinning to himself as he did so. 'Naturally, as your father, I should tell you that what you lot did this morning was abysmally foolish and terribly dangerous. Dolores Umbridge has—unfortunately—got some clout in the Ministry, and if she is ever in a position of power over any of you, she could stand to make your lives extremely difficult.'

'Yeah, I understand,' James said.

'And I also should let you know that—as a former law enforcement official and more importantly as your father—I do not condone this sort of behavior. Clear?' Mr. Potter asked.

'Crystal,' James replied.

Mr. Potter smiled again. 'On the other hand,' he said slowly, glancing at James as he did. 'That was wicked, James.'

James grinned. 'Thanks,' he said.

'One piece of advice before you run off to join your friends,' Mr. Potter said as he stood up from the table. 'And there's no pressure in this statement whatsoever, James. But that girl upstairs? Lily Evans? You need to marry her.'

James flushed in spite of himself. 'I'll do my best, Dad,' he said.

'Off you go then,' Mr. Potter said with a smirk that made him look several years younger as James bounded from the kitchen.


	3. Friends and Prefects

3

'_He's alive!'_

Sirius' theatrical exclamation was followed by a combination of a tackle and a hug as James entered their bedroom. They erupted into laughs as James playfully cuffed his best friend in the head. The room had been magically modified to be larger in light of the fact that Sirius was now a full-time resident in the Potter House. On one side of the room was James' bed. A Gryffindor banner hanging above it, along with news clippings of his now-favorite Quidditch Team, the Appleby Arrows, where his friend Dorcas Meadowes played. Various broom cleaning kits lay scattered about the foot of his bed. There was also a picture of he, Sirius, Remus and Peter on the wall and—to Lily's constant amusement and chagrin—a photograph of her that had been taken in the first week of the summer without her being aware of it. The middle of the room was taken up with dressers and wardrobes which contained both he and Sirius' various clothes.

On Sirius' side, the room had a far more Muggle feel. Various motorcycle parts and magazines scattered the floor. Much as James' bed was adorned with a Gryffindor banner, so to was Sirius'—only his wall was covered in photographs of he and the others, as well as a few Muggle musical bands, including Lily's favorite which had also become one of his favorite.

'He didn't grill you too badly then?' Peter asked hopefully.

James chuckled as he flopped down on the floor near the door. Remus was sitting idly in a chair by the window, Peter was laying sleepily on Sirius' bed, and Lily had seated herself on the end of James' bed. 'He knows everything, of course,' James said with a sigh.

Lily looked alarmed. 'Are we in trouble?'

'Course not,' James replied causing Sirius to laugh. 'He thought it was bloody brilliant—although if you repeat that to anyone, it may be the last thing you ever do,' he quipped.

Remus shook his head. 'He has a very keen investigative mind,' he observed.

'Did he say anything else about Umbridge's reaction?' Sirius asked excitedly.

James shook his head. 'Not much. Just that they still haven't been able to open up her office—nice work on that one, Evans,' he said with a grin.

Lily looked quite pleased with herself. 'Serves her right,' she declared.

'We're at a bit of a loose end, now,' James mused as he sat down at the head of his bed not too far from Lily. 'What will we do with ourselves for the rest of the summer?'

Remus' face brightened. 'Study!' he said.

Sirius rolled his eyes. 'Captain Buzz Kill, reporting for duty,' he muttered.

'I'm serious,' Remus said. 'OWL year is supposed to be absolutely insane, and I don't think you three have even looked at a book this summer.'

'Well, when you're blessed with superior intelligence…' James began.

'…you don't need to study, yes, we know,' Lily finished. 'But when you get 'Troll' on your OWLs, don't come crying to Remus and I.'

James snorted. 'I'll wager I score at least as well as you do, Evans,' he said.

Lily's eyes narrowed. 'If this is some sort of plot to make me score a zero, Potter, I should warn you—my father's a doctor. I know how to kill people.'

'If he's a doctor, shouldn't you be trying to save people?' Peter asked in confusion.

'They have bad days,' Lily deadpanned to a roar of laughter from Sirius.

James chuckled. 'I'd forgotten about making you score a zero,' he said.

'I'm glad you did,' Lily muttered.

'Oh come on—I talked Flitwick into letting you re-take the test, didn't I? No harm was done,' James declared. 'But that's beside the point—I'm going to do at least as well as you on OWLs. If not better.'

Lily cocked an eyebrow. 'You might want to take Remus' advice and look at a book then,' she said.

Sirius chuckled. 'Methinks she lacks faith in our ability to improvise,' he said.

'Clearly,' James said with a laugh.

Remus sniffed. 'Well then, it shouldn't interest you at all that we're supposed to be getting our Hogwarts Letters today.'

Lily slapped a hand to her forehead. 'Is it that time already?' she said fretfully. 'I really haven't devoted enough time to school work this summer.'

'No, you've been devoting your time to the noblest of pursuits,' Sirius said in a foppish voice. 'Pranking Umbridge. Which one is going to be a bigger highlight in a few years' time?'

Lily laughed in spite of herself. 'Good point, and well made. But studying is still important. Maybe I should get home, if letters are arriving today…'

Remus waved a hand. 'The letter will find you,' he said.

'Yes, but—well—' Lily said uncomfortably.

James pursed his lips. 'But Snape will be wanting to talk about it with you, right?' he said.

The fun atmosphere seemed to be sucked out of the room. Sirius, to his credit, began studying a set of bike gears he had left on the floor. Peter chose this moment to pretend to be asleep, and Remus looked out the window as if expecting an owl to show up at that very moment.

'Yes,' Lily said quietly.

'It's okay, Evans,' James said with a sigh. 'We're not your only friends. And we've been whisking you away rather a lot this summer.'

'He can't have been happy about that,' Peter said and then quickly clapped a hand over his mouth as though he had said too much.

Lily sighed. 'He—he doesn't know too much about it, to be honest.'

James raised his eyebrows. 'Keeping our friendship secret?' he asked.

'Not at all,' Lily replied in a scandalized tone. 'Just that if he knew about this prank, he'd find some way to get you in trouble for it.'

James frowned. 'But that would include you,' he said.

'He'd find a way to leave me out,' Lily replied. 'It's for the best that he just doesn't know anything about what we were up to.'

'Understood,' James replied. 'Well, give him my regards. When he replies with his wish that I go and disembowel myself, feel free to forget to deliver the message,' he said with a grin.

Lily glanced tentatively at Sirius, who seemed to be biting his tongue. 'Thanks, Potter,' she said.

'How is Severus, anyway?' Remus asked.

Lily sighed as she stood up. 'Can't wait for the school year to begin,' she replied.

'Problems at home?' Remus asked softly.

'Always,' Lily muttered. 'Look—all of you—thanks for this,' she said with a bright smile, and everyone looked at her. 'I had more fun doing this than I ever thought I could have before.'

Sirius chuckled darkly. 'You see? Being bad can be fun.'

'Let's just avoid doing it at school, shall we?' Lily replied.

'No promises,' James said to a laugh from the others. Lily bestowed a hug on Sirius, Remus and Peter. James was last and she embraced him, her hair falling into his face.

'Thanks, Potter,' she said and then she was out the door and gone. Only a moment later, Mr. Potter entered the room, a plate of waffles hovering in behind him.

'Wicked, Dad!' James exclaimed.

Mr. Potter chuckled. 'I suppose there'll be more now, I thought Ms. Evans would be staying—where is she rushing off to?'

'Hogwarts letters arrive today,' Remus explained.

'And she has to go hang out with Snivellus,' Sirius said in a tone of utmost loathing.

Mr. Potter sighed. 'The boy that told the papers last summer that you ought to be taught a lesson?' he asked while looking at James, who nodded in reply.

'Git,' Sirius muttered.

'Well, I certainly don't approve of that. But if someone like Lily sees some good in him, then there must be some in there. Even if it's well hidden,' Mr. Potter observed. 'Enjoy the waffles. I have to go and explain to your Mother what happened this morning,' he said with a slight smirk as he backed out of the bedroom.

James grabbed one of the plates out of mid air as the others rushed over to do the same. They all promptly sat in the middle of the floor and began to eat.

'You alright?' Remus asked as they did so.

James shrugged. 'Why wouldn't I be?'

Remus looked at him knowingly.

'Well, of course I'd rather she and Snape never see each other, but that's not really my choice now, is it?' James said with a sigh.

'Very mature of you,' Remus replied.

Sirius snorted. 'How long do you really think it will take before they part ways for good?' he said. 'I mean—it's pretty obvious what path Snape is going down.'

'Yes, it is,' Remus said. 'And no one is more aware of that than Lily.'

Peter swallowed a mouthful of waffle and frowned. 'Well then, why is she still friends with him?' he asked.

'Because she wants to try and stop it from happening,' James cut in. 'She figures she can save him from himself more or less.'

'It's a noble thought,' Remus said.

'But…?' Sirius asked. 'Come on, Moony—no need to be so diplomatic with all of us.'

Remus sighed. 'I think it's a ticking time bomb. Severus has had four years now to be swayed away from this line of thought, but contrary to that, he seems to be getting more and more set on his path as time goes on. It's a cause of concern for Lily, I'm sure of it.'

'You have to wonder what the breaking point would be, though,' Sirius said noisily through a mouthful of waffle. 'I mean—he's said things to the paper that could have gotten James thrown in Azkaban. He's maliciously pranked people too, and he's pretty much said straight out that he wants to be a Death Eater.'

'Yeah, what's it going to take?' Peter asked. The three of them looked at Remus expectantly as though he had the answer, and he laughed.

'I have no idea,' Remus said. 'Every person's shatter point is different. For Lily? Who knows…I think he would have to do something to her specifically. But as poor as some of his decisions have been, I cannot see him doing something like that,' he said.

James sighed. 'Yeah, I guess you're right,' he muttered.

At that point, persistent tapping came from the window. James glanced over to see a series of owls fluttering around outside. Excitement swelling within him, he rushed over to open the window which admitted four owls.

'Poor Lily,' Sirius lamented. 'Her owl was probably almost here—now it has to go all the way back to Spinner's End.'

James unwrapped the letter from the owl's leg that had his name on it. He offered a piece of his waffle to the owl, which it accepted gratefully and then flew off once more out the window. They all sat down and began looking through their letters with earnest.

'Standard Book of Spells Grade 5, that's to be expected,' Sirius muttered.

'Terribly Advanced Transfiguration? Do they pick these titles just to scare us?' Peter whimpered.

'Possibly Impossible Potions…you may be on to something, Peter,' Remus chuckled.

'There it is,' James said. 'Conquering the Dark Arts. Looks like they've set a new Defense teacher for us,' he said.

Peter looked up. 'I wonder who it will be?'

'Can't be much worse than Fletcher,' Remus muttered. It was well known that he had not been particularly keen on their previous Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher's rather lackluster methods of teaching.

James put his letter down with a grin. 'Well, I guess this means a trip to Diagon Alley is in order,' he said excitedly.

'Oi, Moony—something else in your letter,' Sirius said, picking up the envelope. Something thick and gleaming was just barely protruding from it as he handed it to Remus who withdrew it.

Peter's eyes went wide. 'Is that—?' he gasped.

'Moony!' Sirius exclaimed.

'Wicked!' James chimed in.

Remus, whose jaw had fallen open, twirled the gleaming Prefects' Badge in his hand. 'That's not possible,' he whispered. 'I was sure Frank would get it!'

Sirius barked with laughter. 'I guess McGonagall has upped the ante on you—remember? How she wanted you to keep us out of trouble?'

'We'd better watch out with Loony Moony the Perfect Prefect on the loose,' James quipped as he elbowed Remus in the side.

'I don't…I…wow,' Remus said.

'Congratulations, Moony,' James said seriously. 'You're the most deserving. Really.'

Sirius nodded. 'Always trying to keep us on the straight and narrow with studying and all,' he said. 'You're a great role model.'

'What they said,' Peter said hastily. 'I'm not risking garbling my words again,' he said with an embarrassed laugh.

'So, what do the Marauders do to celebrate an event such as this?' Sirius pondered.

James rubbed his chin. 'I don't know, but we'll have some time to think of something appropriate,' he said with a grin as Remus held the badge up to his chest with a bashful grin of his own.


	4. Jokes and Teachers

4

Diagon Alley was abuzz with activity, and familiar faces passed in every direction. With an ear-splitting roar, Sirius' flying motorbike skidded onto the ground, bouncing ever so slightly and causing Peter to clutch his helmet from the little side car. James and Remus touched down on their broomsticks a moment later, Remus riding on James' old Comet Two Sixty.

The days following Remus' big news had seen no shortage of celebration. The Potters had invited Remus' family to attend a celebratory dinner in his honor, where everyone took turns toasting the incredibly embarrassed Remus, who had done his level best to hide his face behind a mug of Butterbeer at the table. When Remus had gone to write Lily to tell her the good news, however, James had stopped him.

'Why?' Remus asked in surprise.

James had grinned. 'Because I've got a fun idea,' he replied in his most mischievous tone, causing Sirius and Peter to instantly snap to attention and listen.

So now, there they all stood in Diagon Alley, having just made an impressive entrance. A pair of Ravenclaw fifth years stopped and ogled Sirius' bike. 'Is that yours?' they breathed.

Sirius flashed a roguish grin—a full summer worth of growth and actually eating dinners with the family seemed to have allowed him to grow both taller and more muscular. With his long black hair falling easily around his grinning face, James was somewhat unsurprised when both the girls swooned ever so slightly at the look. 'You bet,' he replied. 'Want to climb aboard?'

'Come on, Don Juan,' Remus said, tugging Sirius away from the suddenly uncontrollably giggling girls.

James adjusted his robes—Remus' gleaming Prefect's badge was affixed to James' own chest. He smirked at Remus who chuckled. 'I still don't think she's going to buy this for a second, James,' he said shrewdly. 'You've caused too much trouble.'

'Thanks for the vote of confidence,' James said briskly as they pushed through the crowds. Sirius winked at a passing Hufflepuff fourth year who blushed furiously and put her head down. 'Enjoying yourself?' James asked.

Sirius barked with laughter. 'Immensely,' he said. 'Apparently, I'm extremely good looking.'

'And unfortunately, you're entirely aware of it,' came the voice of Lily Evans from behind them. James faked a sudden coughing fit, bending over and adjusting his robes so the Prefect's badge was hidden before straightening to turn and face Lily. She was beaming back at them, her green eyes alight with delight—and much to James' completely lack of surprise, a Prefect's badge gleamed on the chest of her robes.

Sirius grinned. 'Congratulations, Prefect Lily,' he said, swooping into a low bow and kissing her hand as she rolled her eyes. James saw them immediately flicker to Remus' chest, the merest frown crossing her face.

'Something amiss?' Remus asked innocently, and James felt a swell of pride—his poker face had improved immensely.

'What? I—no, nothing, why?' Lily asked.

Remus smiled lightly. 'You look confused,' he said.

'What would I have to be confused about? Don't be silly,' Lily said in a rush.

James stretched an arm over to tap Peter on the shoulder. He pointed at Mary McDonald through the crowd, causing Peter to trot off in her direction, but the move had been deliberately planned—the Prefect's badge popped out of the fold of his robes and revealed itself in its full majesty to Lily's suddenly wide and incredulous eyes.

'There's that face again,' Remus said, looking utterly bemused.

James smiled politely. 'Alright, Evans?'

'You—I—you've got—I—how?' she stammered.

'I've got…what?' James asked.

Lily's eyebrows wrinkled in confusion. 'I don't even know what to say,' she said.

'Congratulations?' James supplied. He offered his hand. 'Which reminds me—congratulations, Evans,' he said.

Lily shook her head. 'This is impossible,' she said.

'What's impossible?' James replied as Sirius sniggered.

'You can't be a Prefect!' she stated bluntly.

James smirked. 'Well, the badge appears to disagree with you,' he said coyly.

Lily looked at Sirius. 'Is this a joke?' she demanded.

'Please,' Sirius said dismissively. 'I can think of better jokes than this while I'm sleeping.'

Lily rounded on Remus. 'Remus?' she asked.

Remus nodded at James. 'Looks like the two of you will be spending a lot more time together,' he said politely. James struggled to maintain a straight face—this comment, more than anything else, seemed to rattle Lily to her core. Her cheeks flushed and she opened and closed her mouth several times, dumbfounded.

'Come on, Evans, it's not that surprising, is it?' James asked.

'You've—you've been a delinquent!' she whispered.

James chuckled. 'You weren't complaining about that while we were pranking Umbridge,' he said.

'That was outside school!' Lily said defensively.

'Alright then, what about when you punched her?' James said, folding his arms and smirking.

Lily buried her face in her hands. 'This can't be happening,' she moaned.

'Here, perhaps my letter will convince you,' James said, fetching Remus' letter from his pocket. He handed it to Lily who took it and began reading quickly. James and Sirius exchanged a grin, and Remus now allowed a smirk to play across his face.

'Congratulations Mr. Lupin…wait, Lupin?—Remus—I—YOU—' Lily roared suddenly, looking up as James, Sirius and Remus burst out laughing. She rolled up the letter and swatted not James, but Remus with it. 'You prat!' she said, but she was smiling in equal parts relief and amusement. 'That was incredibly cruel,' she said.

James clapped a hand over his heart as Remus waved his wand, pulling the crest from James' chest and affixing it to his own. 'Words hurt, Evans,' he said.

Lily stuck her tongue out. 'Serves you right,' she declared. She turned her gaze to Remus. 'I just knew you'd be made a Prefect! Congratulations,' she beamed.

'Thanks,' Remus said, his cheeks flushing slightly. 'You too, I'm looking forward to it.'

'So where are we going first, now that we've managed to avoid giving Evans heart failure?' James declared. He then quickly had to dodge a playful punch that she aimed at him.

Sirius frowned. 'Flourish and Botts?' he suggested. 'We've got a lot of new books to never read,' he said with a smirk.

Lily suddenly looked apprehensive. 'Er—why don't we go there last?' she suggested.

'Why?' Sirius demanded, already heading in that direction.

'Because Marlene's there,' Lily said quietly.

Sirius froze. 'Oh,' he said flatly. James, Lily and Remus held their breaths and Sirius shrugged. 'Alright, then,' he said. 'Any other suggestions?'

'Madam Malkin's? We'll need some new robes,' Remus suggested.

'Sounds good,' Sirius muttered and they began heading in that direction, passing Peter and Mary who were talking animatedly as they did so.

James cleared his throat. 'So when does Snape get here?' he asked.

Lily gave him a sidelong glance. 'Soon,' she said. 'We were going to meet at Florean Fortiscue's for some ice cream.'

'How delightful,' James said and Lily rolled her eyes. 'Has he started asking questions about London yet?'

Lily flushed slightly. 'No, and I don't want you inferring anything, either,' she said.

Sirius chuckled. 'Right, because when James does something, the first thing he decides to do is rush off and tell old Snivelly,' he said, earning a glare from Lily. 'Hey, he's the one under orders to lay off him—not me.'

'It would be nice if you would, though,' Lily said crossly.

'It would be nice if he'd throw himself in a lake,' Sirius retorted. James bit his fist to keep from laughing as Lily grabbed a quill from her bag and hurled it at him. Sirius caught it deftly and twirled it in his fingers, smirking at her. 'You'll have to do a lot better than that, Silly Lily,' he said with another roguish wink.

Lily sighed. 'Why do I get the feeling you're going to be insufferable this year?' she muttered.

'_This _year? Evidently I need to step up my game,' Sirius said with a smirk.

'Oi, there's Frank and Alice! LONGBOTTOM!' James called, waving as Frank Longbottom and Alice Dearborn made their way over to them. 'Been a while, Captain—how are you?'

Frank grinned. He had shot up in height by about a foot and a half over the last few months, now towering over the rest of them. 'It'll be nice to actually get to try out the Captaincy this year,' he said with a smile. 'Summer's been good for me. And how about you lot?'

'How was London?' Alice said with a smirk as she elbowed James.

Frank smirked at Lily. 'We look to our Prefects to set examples, you know,' he said, causing her to flush furiously.

'How do you know about that?' Remus asked incredulously.

Frank chuckled. 'Please,' he said. 'Dumbridge has a certain ring to it.'

Alice grinned widely. 'I got far more enjoyment than I should have out of that,' she said.

Lily sighed. 'So who knows that we did it?'

'No one, of course,' Frank replied. 'That doesn't mean that we can't put two and two together, you know.'

James laughed. 'See, Evans? Your secret is safe.'

'It won't be if you keep carrying on about it so loudly,' she said, looking around nervously. 'I'm supposed to be a role model for younger students now,' she added in a fretful tone.

James chuckled. 'Evans, I can't think of a better way for anyone to be a role model than by giving Umbridge what she deserves.'

'Hear hear,' Alice said bracingly.

'So how has your summer been?' Remus asked.

Frank shrugged. 'Not too bad,' he said. 'Looking forward to getting back to Hogwarts—play some Quidditch, hopefully have more meetings with the Order…'

'Have you heard anything about that?' Sirius asked excitedly. 'Your brother's been off working for the Ministry, hasn't he, Alice?'

Alice nodded. They had all gotten to know her older brother Caradoc during the Hogwarts Combat Championship the previous year. 'He has a junior position in the Department of International Magical Co-Operation,' she said. James nodded grimly—this was a department that they knew from their meetings had been infiltrated by Lord Voldemort.

'Hopefully he's staying alert,' Remus said gravely.

Alice nodded. 'I'm sure he is,' she said with a sigh and Frank squeezed her shoulder.

'Any word on who the new teacher for Defense is?' James asked Frank.

He nodded. 'Heard little bits—he's foreign, I know that much. I heard a rumor that he actually taught at Durmstrang,' he said.

'Durmstrang? But they're heavily into the Dark Arts, aren't they?' Lily asked in an aghast voice.

Frank shrugged. 'That's the reputation, although I can't imagine Dumbledore hiring someone like that,' he said.

'Dumbledore also has a habit of hiring people he knows,' Alice chimed in. 'So this must be someone he's familiar with.'

'I didn't know Dumbledore spent time abroad,' Sirius said with a frown.

Lily snorted. 'Well, you've never read a book, so why would you?' she quipped to general amusement. At Sirius' dumbfounded look, she explained. 'Dumbledore is famous for a lot of reasons, not the least of which was his battle with Gellert Grindelwald.'

The name jogged a distant memory in James' mind—a flash back to his first year, as a wide-eyed 11-year-old when Professor Bowen was explaining about Dumbledore's past. 'Hey, I know about that,' he said suddenly. 'Grindelwald was a tyrant in Europe and Dumbledore went to stop him. Their duel leveled an entire village.'

'Really?' Sirius said in amazement.

Lily nodded. 'Grindelwald wasn't much different from Voldemort,' she said grimly.

'But Dumbledore took him apart pretty handily, didn't he?' Alice said, looking between Lily and Frank. 'That's what everything I've read about it has said.'

'Not quite,' Frank replied. 'It was a pretty pitched battle, and they were apparently quite evenly matched. It took everything Dumbledore had to win,' he said. 'And that's not a very pretty picture, because Dumbledore may well be the most powerful wizard of all time.'

Remus rubbed his chin. 'Wow,' he said. 'So now they've got someone from that same region coming to teach at Hogwarts?'

'Could be,' Frank replied. 'But I guess we'll have to find out.'


	5. Prongs and Prefects

5

James exhaled slowly, wiping his mind clean. He focussed on his breathing while trying not to think of the words 'in and out' at the same time. His mind wandered as he stood there with his eyes closed—no cohesive thought floated through it, but unbidden, the image of Lily Evans' smiling face appeared to him. Her green eyes sparkled with amusement as she looked at him with that dazzling smile that seemed to melt his heart…

'OI!' Sirius yelled suddenly, snapping James out of his trance. James' eyes snapped open and he was back in his bedroom—Sirius, Remus and Peter were all staring at him, wide-eyed.

'What?' James asked.

Peter pointed, his jaw dropped. 'Huh—huh—horns!' he whispered, his finger pointing vaguely at James' head.

James frowned. They had been practicing with the Animagi book for a good portion of the summer, but they had been frustrated with their lack of progress. They couldn't seem to get any further than they had managed in previous years, and now it was the night before they were due to board the Hogwarts Express. They had managed to finish their shopping at Diagon Alley without running into either Severus Snape or Marlene McKinnon. Now, unable to sleep, they had decided to give it another short.

'Horns?' James asked and he reached up to touch his forehead. His jaw dropped as he felt two massive objects sticking out of his forehead—he had had bumps emerge there before, but never anything to this extent.

Sirius had leapt to his feet. 'Those aren't horns,' he said. 'Those are antlers!'

'Antlers?' James asked. 'Give me a mirror!'

Remus waved a wand and a small mirror appeared before James. He stared, open-mouthed, at his own reflection—he looked completely normal apart from the fact that he now had approximately a foot-and-a-half long antlers sticking out of his forehead.

'Wow,' James said.

'It's a stunning improvement over your usual look,' Sirius quipped, causing James to swing his arm at him. Sirius nimbly dodged out of the way, barking with laughter as he did so. 'Maybe you'd have better luck hitting me with one of those prongs!'

James smirked. 'Challenge accepted,' he said, and he bull rushed Sirius who yelped in dismay and dove aside. They all laughed as James strolled back over to the mirror and looked at himself once more. 'So what do you suppose this means?' he asked.

Remus rubbed his chin thoughtfully. 'Well, there aren't many animals out there that have antlers,' he said. 'Stag, elk, caribou, antelope, gazelle…'

'I don't think those things would fit on a gazelle,' Sirius observed.

Peter still looked to be a combination of awestruck and terrified. 'They're huge,' he said. 'Do you think the rest of you will be huge?'

'Only one way to find out, I guess,' James said.

Sirius sat down. 'So how'd you do it?'

James sighed as he sat down as well, rubbing his newfound antlers. 'Same as usual,' he said. 'I let my mind wander.'

'So, to Lily,' Remus said.

James flushed. 'Well, yeah,' he said. He had given up on not telling them exactly where his mind went to whenever he tried to keep it blank.

'Maybe that's the key?' Remus mused. 'Maybe you have to think of something comforting—or maybe something you love—to really get it.'

Sirius wrinkled his nose. 'That's your bright idea? Love is the key?'

'Well, think about it,' Remus said, his face now alight with the same energy that he seemed to have when he was sharing homework answers. 'Dumbledore thinks love is perhaps the greatest magical power there is. Love isn't so much of a thought as it is a feeling—so instead of forming coherent thoughts, your mind just…feels.'

James shook his head. 'More Wilhelmina Warbright, Moony?' he asked.

Remus snorted. 'Stuff it, _Prongs,_' he declared. 'Speaking of which—you might want to try and reverse that, or you'll be looking quite a prat on the train tomorrow,' he sniffed.

Sirius and Peter chortled at the exchange, and then Peter looked thoughtful. 'So what _is _going to happen on the train tomorrow? I mean, you're not going to be sitting with us, are you?' he asked.

Remus shrugged. 'Lily and I will have to go to the head cabin to meet with the other Prefects and get our instructions from the Head Boy and Girl,' he said. 'We'll need to do some rounds, but we should be able to sit down for a little bit before we get to the school.'

'I wonder who the other Prefects are?' Sirius said. 'Is it possible to omit an entire house? Because the idea of a Slytherin prefect is somewhat terrifying,' he said with a shudder.

James made a gagging sound. 'As long as it's not Snape,' he said. 'I don't know if I could bear the thought of him lording that over me.'

'Mulciber and Avery wouldn't be much better,' Remus said shrewdly. 'The potential for abuse of their position is atounding.'

'They would be beyond insane to pick Mulciber,' James said firmly. 'Don't you remember what he did to Mary McDonald?'

No one had been able to prove anything, but James was certain that Mulciber had once tried to unsuccessfully place the Imperius Curse upon Mary, an act that James, Sirius, Remus and Peter had intervened upon. Mulciber had somehow been able to wipe his wand clean so that Prior Incantatem would not work to retrieve what spells had been cast.

'The teachers have to have long memories, I'm sure they wouldn't allow it,' Sirius said after a moment.

'But then who does that leave for Slytherin?' Peter asked.

James sighed. 'I don't know. But I get the feeling that whoever it is will be doing their best to make our lives difficult,' he said.

'So you're going to tread lightly?' Remus asked in an impressed tone of voice.

James laughed. 'Merlin's beard, no,' he said. 'Do unto others, Moony.'

Sirius barked with laughter as Remus sighed in a bemused way. 'You lot are going to be the death of me,' he muttered. 'I have no idea how I'm supposed to be a good influence on you.'

'Give yourself some credit, you make us feel ashamed of ourselves sometimes,' Sirius said bracingly. 'Well, Prongs, get a move on—you don't want those things sticking out of your head on the train tomorrow.'

James laughed as he looked at himself in the mirror again. 'So this nickname is sticking, is it?'

'It's got a certain ring to it,' Peter chuckled.

'If that's the way you want it, but just you just wait, I'll be returning the favour one of these days,' James muttered as he focussed on making his mind blank once more.

The following morning arrived and Platform 9 and ¾ was abuzz with activity. James had tried to convince his parents that they were perfectly capable of getting themselves to London, but Mr. and Mrs. Potter had insisted on accompanying them. Why they did that was quickly revealed upon arriving at the platform, as Mr. Potter smirked and pulled an antiquated old camera out of his robes.

'Oh for the love of—really?' James asked in exasperation.

Mr. Potter chuckled. 'A tradition is a tradition,' he said firmly. 'Would all of you like to be in on this?' he asked.

Remus and Peter shrugged as Sirius roughly put James in a headlock and rubbed his head with his other hand. 'Not getting camera shy on me, are you James?' he asked.

'Oi! Geroff!' James called, just as a blinding flash struck his eyes with the sound of a click. 'Oh, tell me you're not using that one,' James moaned.

Mrs. Potter laughed. 'Action shots are always the best,' she observed. She waved her wand and their trunks flew onto the baggage cart.

'Now you lot had best stay out of trouble,' Mr. Potter said.

James smiled grimly. 'You too. I don't want to have to come and save your behinds from a Dark Wizard again,' he said.

Mr. Potter sighed. 'Not my finest hour,' he muttered. James had been whisked away from the school after being eliminated from the Hogwarts Combat Championship, only to arrive in the midst of a battle in his hometown of Godric's Hollow. His parents had been overpowered and kidnapped by Gilles Rochefort, and James had once again had to fight for his life against that one-eyed menace.

'We'll be careful,' Mrs. Potter said as the horn sounded for the train. 'Watch out for Peeves, say hello to Hagrid,' she said.

Mr. Potter smirked. 'And say hello to your new professor,' he said.

'Do you know who it is?' James asked suddenly.

'James, come on, we're going to be late!' Remus said.

'Who's our teacher?' James called.

But Mr. and Mrs. Potter were backing away with smiles on their faces, waving as they did. 'See you at Christmas,' Mrs. Potter called.

'That was just cruel,' Sirius said as they entered the hallway of the Hogwarts Express. 'He knows—he has to know.'

'Well, we can start thinking during the train ride…what foreigners would my Dad know about. I'm sure that list is only a few thousand pages long,' James said sarcastically as they found an empty compartment.

Remus placed his bag down and straightened his robes. 'Right,' he said. 'I've got to go to the head compartment to get my instructions. How do I look?'

'Perfect, Mr. Prefect,' Sirius said with a smirk.

Remus chuckled. 'Thanks,' he said. 'Wish me luck!' and with that, he ducked out of the compartment.

'They grow up so fast,' James said in a mockly tearful voice.

Peter looked somewhat crestfallen. 'It feels like things are changing,' he said.

'Well, that's what things do, Peter,' Sirius said. 'Remus is growing into a responsible young man, and Prongs here seems to be turning into a Unicorn with two antlers,' he said.

Peter laughed as James tried to kick Sirius who barked with laughter. The train began to move and they glanced out the window as the station began to flash by. 'Any thoughts on who the new teacher is?' Sirius asked.

James shook his head. 'My Dad knew a lot of wizards from other countries thanks to his work…I wouldn't even know where to start.'

'Well, it was someone Dumbledore knows as well, and Frank reckons he might have taught at Durmstrang,' James said. 'I guess that's a start. Maybe we can find something on that in the books in the library?'

'We'll get Moony to look it up,' Sirius said.

Just then, the door to the compartment opened—James felt his pulse quicken as Severus Snape stood there, glaring at him with a look of the utmost loathing. The easy and relaxed mood in the compartment shifted palpably to one of tension.

'Alright, Snivellus?' Sirius sneered.

Snape's eyes flickered to Sirius, and then back to James. 'I thought we were supposed to be cordial with one another?' he said in a slow and calculated voice.

James shrugged. 'He's not me, is he? I don't speak for him,' he said.

A smug look crossed Snape's face. 'Duly noted,' he said in that same slow voice that seemed to drip with the promise of a threat.

James frowned. 'Is there something you want, Snape?'

'I already got what I wanted,' Snape said and with that he stepped out of the doorway. James and Sirius exchanged a confused glance as Peter stood up to close the door. He had barely reached it when a loud bang sounded and Peter was sent flying back across the compartment, crashing into the window with astonishing force. If it had not had an imperturbable charm placed upon it, it was likely that he would have crashed right through.

Sirius and James were on their feet instantly, their hands going for their robes as Mulciber and Avery came barging into the cabin. The air was suddenly alive with the crackling and soaring of hexes, shouts, insults and curse words were hurled about the cabin as Peter regained his feet and joined the fray.

Sirius swung his wand upwards, catching Avery in the face with a Bat Bogey Hex, but as Avery stumbled, Regulus appeared in the door and barged forward, tackling Sirius who met him with a roar of rage. The two of them dropped their wands and began rolling about, punching and kicking each other and screaming in fury.

James went to slash his wand at Mulciber, but Peter leapt in the way as he tried to hex Mulciber himself. The result was that James was forced to hold his fire, which ended badly as Mulciber caught him flat in the chest with a hex that slammed James against the wall painfully. Peter struck him a moment later with a disarming spell, sending his wand to the floor, but Mulciber responded by kicking Peter in the midsection, sending him crashing to the floor next to James.

James was just raising his wand to attack when a loud bang sounded in the cabin, causing everyone to freeze. Sirius and Regulus froze mid-punch, Avery lay still on the floor even as the enormous wings sticking out of his nostrils continued to flap, but Mulciber stood stillest of all. That reason became readily apparent as James saw a wand jabbing into the back of his neck, and Lily Evans stood on the other end of it.

'Mulciber, Avery, and Regulus Black,' she said coldly. 'Detentions before term has even started, how quaint.'

Mulciber scowled and reached for his wand.

Lily laughed darkly. 'That had best be a snack you're reaching for, Mulciber, because—I promise—I will make you eat it,' she said in a supremely threatening tone.

Mulciber dropped his hand and scowled even harder.

'Now get back to your compartments,' Lily said coldly.

The three Slytherins shuffled out, glowering darkly at Lily who stood tall, her Prefect's badge displayed prominently on her chest. Remus was behind her in the hallway as the Slytherins passed by. Once they were safely gone, Lily sighed and stuffed her wand into her robes. 'You lot alright?' she asked.

Sirius sighed as he wiped blood from his nose. 'Never better, why do you ask?'

'Are we in trouble?' James asked.

Remus' eyebrows raised. 'Should you be?'

'Well, no,' Peter muttered.

'Then there's your answer,' Lily declared with a smirk. 'Did you see Mulciber's face? I'd like a framed picture of that one,' she said.

James chuckled. 'I'm so glad we're friends,' he said happily as he motioned for the two of them to sit and join them. But in the back of his mind, a small voice snarled. _So…that's the way Snape wants to play it?_

_Two can play at that game._


	6. Rows and Professors

6

James winced as he sat down on the bench again, his ribs sore from being slammed against the side of the cabin. Peter gingerly sat down next to him as Remus seated himself next to Sirius, who was using the sleeve of his robes to stem the bleeding from his nose.

'So what happened?' Lily asked from where she stood in the doorway.

James and Sirius exchanged a glance. 'Maybe you should ask Snape,' James said in a measured tone of voice.

Lily looked between them. 'What does he have to do with this?' she asked sharply.

'Stuck his head in right before his mates came barging in,' Sirius said as he surveyed the blood on his robes with an angry expression. 'Said some cryptic poppycock and left.'

'Cryptic poppycock?' Lily asked, switching her gaze to James.

James furrowed his brow as he recollected. 'He poked his head in. Sirius asked what he wanted and called him Snivellus. He said he thought we were supposed to be cordial—I said I can't control Sirius. He said duly noted. I asked what he wanted. He said he'd already got it. Then he left, and they came in,' he said.

Remus glanced at Lily whose nostrils were flaring threateningly. 'Sounds like he could have told them to fight,' he said.

'Excuse me,' Lily said, her voice like ice as she stepped out of the compartment.

'Someone's going to get in trouble,' Peter sang happily.

Sirius snorted, inadvertently spraying blood onto the floor. 'Don't hold your breath. Snape's got more lives than a cat where she's concerned,' he said dismissively.

Peter looked imploringly at James. 'You think she's going to let him get away with it?' he whined.

James shrugged. 'Where's the proof he said anything to them?' he said in a defeated tone.

'But…but that wouldn't stop him from blaming you if the shoe was on the other foot!' Peter said in a scandalized tone. 'It's obvious that he told them to!'

'But she'll give him the benefit of the doubt,' James said evenly. 'We're just going to have to figure out how to deal with this.'

Remus looked alarmed, but Sirius looked determined. 'Right. Well, you lot figure that out. I'm going to go and make sure he looks an awful prat trying to eat at supper tonight with no teeth,' he said waspishly as he stood up. Remus tugged on his robe and hauled him back down.

'That's not a good idea,' Remus said.

'Going to give me detention?' Sirius asked with a combination of a smirk and a scowl.

Remus smiled coldly, but he spoke in a voice of determined calm. 'I merely mean to point out that walking into Severus' compartment and hexing him while he is in mid-conversation with Lily might not be the best way to stay in her good books, to say nothing of the detention you _would _get from _her _for doing so,' he said.

Sirius seemed to mull this over and he sagged in his chair. 'I hate it when you're right,' he muttered.

'You must be angry a lot then,' Remus said loftily causing James and Peter to laugh. 'Now,' Remus went on. 'What do you mean by figuring out how to deal with this?'

James sighed as he rubbed his chest. 'If Snape is going to try and get crafty, we have to get crafty as well,' he said.

'Excellent,' Sirius said with relish.

Remus frowned. 'You don't intend to retaliate?'

'That's one option,' James said, ignoring the grin that Sirius gave him. 'I was thinking more along the lines of beating him at his own game.'

Peter looked confused. 'What are you talking about?'

'What has Snape been trying to do to us since first year?' James asked expectantly.

It was Remus, of course, who answered. 'Followed us around and tried to catch us doing something wrong so he could get us into trouble.'

'Precisely,' James said. 'So, now that we know what his game plan is…' he trailed off.

Sirius' eyes widened. 'You want to catch him in the act of planning something against us?'

'That's the plan,' James declared.

'That's devious, that is,' Sirius said. 'I like it.'

Remus looked shrewdly at James. 'A surprisingly mature track,' he said.

James laughed. 'What do you mean _surprisingly_?' he scoffed.

They continued to banter all the way to Hogsmeade Station, at which point the train began to empty. James craned his neck upon arriving on the platform to see if he could spot Lily's mane of red hair, or—failing that—Snape's greasy top. But he could see neither in the sea of writing humanity that spewed forth from the train.

'Firs' years, this way!' came the familiar bellow of Hagrid.

'Hullo, Hagrid! Good summer?' James called.

Hagrid waved cheerily back. 'Not as good as the year yeh all are gon' have!' he shouted back as the mob of first years walked towards him. 'Follow me to the boats!' he called as his massive form disappeared off into the distance.

'See you at the castle,' Remus said as he and Peter hopped into one of the horseless carriages, leaving James and Sirius to another one. James was still looking around as he climbed in.

Sirius chuckled. 'Looking for Lily?' he said.

'Did you see her?' James asked.

Sirius shook his head. 'She and Snape are probably bickering away in a cabin somewhere,' he said. 'They'd best wrap it up soon or they'll be on their way back to London before they know it,' he added as the carriage began to move. The ride seemed to pass in no time as they arrived at Hogwarts. James saw many familiar faces as they began to disembark—Frank and Alice emerged from a cart, and Gideon and Fabian Prewett emerged from another. He spotted Edgar Bones and a Hufflepuff fourth year whom he did not recognize emerge from another.

'This way, everyone, this way,' came the chortling voice of Professor Slughorn. He had apparently been tasked with escorting the older students into the school. Professor McGonagall, James knew, would be meeting the new batch of first years who were arriving.

'Any last minute guesses on the new Defense teacher?' Sirius asked as James once again craned his neck to see if he could spot Lily or Snape.

'None at all,' James muttered.

'Will you stop that? You look like an ostrich,' Sirius quipped as he elbowed James. They walked together into the school.

'Aren't you the least bit curious? They must be having a row,' James said.

'You mustn't be hopeful,' Sirius said sarcastically as they filed into the school after Professor Slughorn. Remus and Peter fell into step beside them as they stepped into the entrance hall.

'You see Evans out there?' James asked.

Remus nodded. 'She and Severus were in the last cart to pull up,' he said.

'How did they look?' James asked eagerly.

'Being as I thought it would be rude to stare, I didn't stand there and attempt to gauge the situation,' Remus said with a smirk. 'But they were talking animatedly.'

James walked with a new spring in his step as they crossed the entrance hall and entered into the dining room. Everyone's eyes immediately shot up to the staff table—seated at the center, as usual, was Professor Dumbledore, smiling serenely out at them all. The seats on either side of him were unoccupied, to be filled by Professors Slughorn and McGonagall. One further out from those seats were Professor Sprout, the Head of Hufflepuff House, and Professor Flitwick, the Head of Ravenclaw House. Professors Kettleburn and Vector were the next two seats out, followed by Professor Binns on the right and…

'…wow,' Sirius muttered.

On the far left, an impressively tall figure stood at the end of the table. He wore a long dark cloak which had a long red stripe gleaming down the front. He had short, dark hair and a thinly cut beard that came into a point on his chin. His hands were clasped behind his back, and he had misty grey eyes that were flickering over the students as they came in.

'Please, be seated,' chortled Professor Slughorn and all the students began moving to their seats.

'He must be seven feet tall,' Peter whispered as they sat down at their table.

'Six foot eight by my measurement,' Remus chimed in as they sat. James and Sirius looked at him and Remus flushed. 'Estimating height and weight is a good talent to have if one wishes to become an Auror,' he said.

James raised his eyebrows. 'You never told me you wanted to become an Auror,' he said.

'I find it interesting, yes,' he muttered.

'Well, they'd be stupid not to take you,' Sirius said. 'You're smarter than most of the students in the school.'

Remus smiled faintly. 'It's not my brains I think they'd have an issue with,' he said.

'You think they'd balk at your furry little problem?' James asked with a raised eyebrow.

Remus flushed again. 'Be less obvious, will you?' he muttered.

James kept his eyes fixed on the doors to the entrance hall. Lily stepped inside swiftly among the final students, striding purposefully to the end of the table where she sat down. James squinted to see her face—she looked unreadable, impossible to tell if she was angry or not. Snape then stalked into the hall, but his face was far less impassive; he wore a smug smirk, which only deepened when he found James' gaze.

'That can't be good,' Sirius muttered.

'Prat,' Peter said forcefully from across the table.

Next, Professor McGonagall escorted the first years in to be sorted. 'Were we ever so small?' Remus mused in a wildly transparent attempt to change the subject.

'Athanasiou, Anthony!' Professor McGonagall called and the sorting began.

'What's he looking so smug for?' Peter whined as they all looked at Snape, who was whispering to Mulciber, Avery and Regulus at their table. James glanced down the table to see Lily was also staring over at them, that same unreadable expression on her face.

'Penny for her thoughts?' Sirius murmured.

James shook his head. 'Think you'd need to break the bank to get in there,' he muttered. He glanced back up at the staff table, where the hugely tall Defense teacher had finally sat down. Even then, he still towered over the other faculty members. The sorting continued until McGonagall finally arrived at 'Zalapski, Valeri!' and then everyone was seated.

Professor Dumbledore stood as Professor McGonagall took her seat next to him. 'Welcome, welcome to another year at Hogwarts,' he said. 'Before we find ourselves flummoxed by our fabulous feast, I must bend your ears for a few start of term announcements,' he said.

'First of all, the Forbidden Forest is exactly that…' Sirius whispered.

'First of all, the Forbidden Forest is exactly that—forbidden,' Dumbledore said and Sirius grinned at James. 'Also, Mr. Filch has asked that I make you aware that his list of prohibited items as grown to one thousand and ninety two, and it has been posted in the entrance hall for all to see,' he said. 'Thirdly, it is with great pleasure that I announce that we have a new staff member among us, who has sportingly agreed to take on the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor. Please join me in extending a warm welcome to Professor Anders Zharkov.'

There was mixed applause and a great deal of murmuring as Zharkov nodded politely, his eyes roaming over the crowd, finally settling upon James. Zharkov's face adopted a similar expression to the one Lily's had on it as he stared at James, who did his best not to flinch and to look right back.

'Professor Zharkov joins us from Durmstrang, where he has been teaching since nineteen forty five. We only hope that his tenure with us will be that long,' Dumbledore went on.

Remus frowned. 'Nineteen forty five?' he murmured.

James, Sirius and Peter all looked over at him. 'Something up, Moony?' James asked.

Remus held up a hand as Dumbledore went on. 'Now…tuck in!' he declared and the hall was suddenly filled with chatter as the plates in front of them filled with food. Sirius reached out and grabbed a thick drumstick from a plate filled with them. Peter helped himself to some mashed potatoes and beans while Remus grabbed a thick slice of roast beef. James grabbed a little of everything and cleared his throat once again.

'Moony?' he asked.

'It might be nothing,' Remus said slowly as he had a mouthful of beef.

Sirius swallowed a large bite of chicken. 'But?' he asked.

'Well,' Remus said. 'Nineteen forty five just happens to be the same year that Dumbledore and Grindelwald dueled,' he said.

'What are you saying?' Peter asked worriedly.

Remus shook his head. 'Nothing bad, mind you,' he said. 'It just seems likely to me that Professor Zharkov may have had sometime to do with helping Dumbledore take down Grindelwald. Which would mean…' he trailed off.

'…maybe he's hoping he can do the same with Voldemort,' James finished.


	7. Snogs and Murals

7

After dinner broke, Remus and Lily disappeared together to escort the first years to the dormitories. James, Sirius and Peter trailed behind them with some amusement. It seemed something akin to trying to herd cats—everything seemed to baffle, amaze and inspire awe in the first years from the moving portraits to the rotating staircases to the ghosts flying around all over the place.

Peeves the Poltergeist made an appearance, lobbing down what appeared to be leftovers from dinner upon them all. His antics were quickly interrupted by Remus, who showed precise use of the 'Wadiwassi' curse, sending a piece of a gum that a young first year had been chewing straight up Peeves' nose. Peeves had blasted away, cursing and yelling at Remus as he went.

Upon arriving at the dormitories, Lily led the young girls up to the girls' side while Remus paraded into the boys' dormitory. James sat down in his familiar seat by the fire, quickly joined by Peter and Sirius as they relaxed, full of a delicious meal and feeling content.

'Nice to be back,' Sirius said.

'What do you think of the new professor?' Peter asked.

James pursed his lips for a moment. He hadn't been able to shake the feeling that when he and Professor Zharkov had locked eyes, that Zharkov had known everything there was to know about James already. Naturally, Dumbledore would have filled any new teacher in on details about his students, but there was certainly a lot to know about James.

'I'm interested to see what his class is like,' James finally replied.

'Talking about Zharkov?' came the voice of Frank Longbottom from behind them. Frank and Alice stepped around the chairs and sat on the edge of the fireplace so that the flickering embers could warm their backs.

'Do you know anything about him?' Sirius queried.

Alice smirked as Frank looked somewhat perturbed. 'Actually, no,' Frank replied.

'Stop the presses,' James deadpanned and Alice trilled with laughter. Frank smiled easily, but James could tell that he was unaccustomed to not being able to find information he wanted and that this was bothering him. 'He's from another country, information is bound to be difficult to get. And we've only known who he is for a few hours.'

'Actually,' Frank muttered, 'I found out who he was a little after we left Diagon Alley.'

Peter raised his eyebrows. 'You did?'

Frank nodded. 'And that's about all I was able to find out,' he said. 'Have you put together the bit on when he started at Durmstrang yet?'

'Nineteen forty five, same as when he dueled Grindelwald,' Sirius said automatically.

Frank chuckled. 'Well, I'm glad Remus put it together at any rate,' he said with a sly look at Sirius who barked with laughter. 'We've got him first thing tomorrow morning.'

'Excellent, something to look forward to,' James said excitedly.

Alice sighed. 'Don't get too far ahead of yourself—we're sharing Defense with the Slytherins this year,' she said dryly.

Sirius grimaced. 'Bloody buggering hell,' he muttered.

Alice's eyes suddenly flicked to the door and she cleared her throat. 'So what other classes are you looking forward to?' she said in a suddenly bizarrely falsetto tone.

'Uh—none of them? Have we met?' Sirius cracked.

'I'm looking forward to the OWLs,' Alice said in that same tone. 'I think it's going to be really interesting to put what we've learned to the test.'

_Why does she sound like that?_ James thought as he turned to where her gaze had flickered to. His jaw clenched—standing in the portrait hole, wrapped in a passionate embrace was Sirius' old girlfriend, Marlene McKinnon. And the object of her affections was none other than Davey Gudgeon.

'Sirius, do you fancy seeing how Moony's making out with the first years?' James said suddenly.

'I suppose,' Sirius grunted, standing up. He faced the wrong way, however—he immediately spotted the embrace at the door and froze.

Peter realized what was going on and frantically stood to get into Sirius' way, but he was quickly swatted aside as Sirius leapt over the top of the couch. James frantically made a grab for his foot, but Sirius was too quick as he pelted across the room, an animalistic war cry coming from his mouth as he hurtled towards Marlene and Davey, both of whom had turned to face him and frozen in shock.

Just as he was about to reach them, a loud bang sounded followed by a flash of light, and Sirius was hanging from the air by his ankle.

'I—WHO—WHAT—PUT ME DOWN!' Sirius roared. 'GUDGEON, I'M GOING TO TEAR YOU APART!'

James had arrived underneath Sirius now, Peter at his side. He looked around quickly to see who had cast the Levicorpus spell, and he saw Frank striding easily over, his wand aloft. 'Sirius, if you want to come down, you're going to need to calm down,' he said.

'STUFF IT, LONGBOTTOM!' Sirius snarled. 'GET OUT OF MY COMMON ROOM, GUDGEON!'

'All's fair in love and war,' Gudgeon said with a smirk.

James took a step forward, but Frank placed an arm across his chest. 'Davey, you'll soon find yourself hanging in the air as well if you don't leave now,' Frank said. His tone was carefully neutral, but his gaze was fierce and determined.

'I'll see you in the morning,' Gudgeon said to Marlene, who was still frozen in shock by the portrait hole. Gudgeon disappeared, closing the door behind him.

'What's going on?' came Lily's voice. She had appeared at the top of the stairs to the girls' dormitory, and she took in the sight of Sirius hanging upside down in front of Marlene in a second. 'Oh,' she said. 'Er—Marlene, I was wondering if you could help me with these first years…?'

'Yes,' Marlene said gratefully as she lunged up the staircase after Lily. Lily shot a furtive glance to James and disappeared once more.

Frank looked into Sirius' upside down face. 'Am I alright to let you down?' he asked.

'Yeah,' Sirius muttered.

Frank waved his wand twice, first releasing the charm and secondly slowly lowering Sirius back onto his feet gently.

'I'm sorry,' Alice said with a grimace. 'I was trying to distract you—I'm sorry you had to see that,' she said.

Sirius shrugged. 'I shouldn't have reacted like that,' he mumbled. 'She's entitled to see whoever she wants. I think I'll go unpack my trunk,' he said and he strode off towards the boys' dormitory, disappearing up the staircase without another word.

'When did that happen?' James asked quietly.

'What, Marlene and Davey?' Frank asked while making a face. 'Faster than any of us would have liked,' he said.

Alice slapped Frank's arm. 'She's still our friend,' she said firmly.

Frank chuckled. 'I never said she wasn't,' he said placatingly. 'Just that she moved back to Davey a little quickly, that's all,' he said.

'Yeah,' Alice replied. 'This will make for an interesting situation this year. I should go check on her…' she said and she excused herself to jog up to the girls' dormitory.

Frank shook his head as they walked back over to the fireplace. 'What would the start of term be without a few lovers' quarrels?' he mused.

'A few?' Peter asked.

Frank shot James a sidelong glance. 'What's going on with you and Lily?' he asked.

James frowned. 'Nothing that I know of,' he said.

'So you weren't ambushed in your cabin on the train today?' Frank asked.

James laughed. 'You're going to make a great Auror, Frank,' he said. 'Yeah, we were. Snape was behind it, but I don't know if Lily believes it.'

'They certainly had a long talk,' Frank conceded.

'And Snape looked really pleased with himself after it,' Peter said miserably.

Frank shrugged. 'That might not mean anything. Before building things up in your head, you might want to actually ask Lily how things went,' he said.

'Thanks for the advice,' James replied. He glanced over at Peter. 'Should we go check on Sirius?'

Peter stood up. 'Probably a good idea,' he said.

'Have fun,' Frank said as they climbed the staircase leading up to the boys' dormitory. They made their way into the room that they had shared with Sirius and Remus for the last four years, James knocking as they entered.

'Sirius?' Peter called tentatively.

'Yeah,' came Sirius' reply. He was by his bed, slowly unpacking his trunk and placing some items into his night table.

James walked over to his bed and sat down. 'You alright?'

''M fine,' Sirius grunted. James and Peter exchanged a glance and nodded—they began quietly unpacking their bags as well, and the three of them sat in silence as they did so. After doing this for several minutes, the door opened and Remus stepped in with a loud sigh.

'Were we ever that thick?' he mused as he landed with a loud thud on the end of his bed, laying back and looking up at the ceiling. 'I swear, it's like they've all got this suicidal urge to see if anything can hurt them. One of them was certain that the walls were enchanted to bounce you off if you ran into it. I had to charm three of his teeth back into his head after that one,' he muttered.

Sirius laughed in spite of himself, and suddenly they were all laughing. 'Sounds like a rough night,' James said after a moment.

Remus sat up, grinning as he shook his head. 'If I wasn't trying so hard to keep a straight face, I'm certain I'd have passed out from laughing so hard,' he said. 'I'm half expecting to be awakened in the middle of the night to tend to a series of other injuries.'

'How did you figure out the tooth charm thing?' Peter asked.

Remus shrugged. 'Unlike you lot, I've actually been reading in preparation for OWL year,' he said loftily. 'I wonder if Lily's having this hard a time with the girls, or if it's just young boys who are afflicted with such awesome stupidity…'

'Well, Prongs here was certainly thick in first year. Granted, he never grew out of it,' Sirius said with a grin, causing James to whip his pillow at him.

'So what did you three get up to?' Remus asked.

Peter and James hesitated, glancing at Sirius who bit his lip for a moment and then plunged in. 'I tried to assault Davey Gudgeon.'

Remus nearly dropped his clothes he had been picking up out of his bag. 'Come again?' he asked.

'He was snogging Marlene,' Sirius finished.

Remus looked at Sirius for a moment and then sighed. 'Sorry, mate,' he said quietly.

'Not your fault,' Sirius replied.

Peter cleared his throat. 'So what are you going to do about it?' he asked.

'Nothing, I've already told you,' Sirius said. 'Well, not about her, anyway. Gudgeon on the other hand…' he trailed off.

Remus smiled sympathetically. 'There's plenty of other fish out there, Sirius,' he said. 'Maybe focus your attention on that.'

'Oh, I'll do that alright,' Sirius said.

They all got ready for bed, but James excused himself to head down to the common room. It was starting to empty, but the person he was looking for was seated in her usual spot by the fireplace. Lily Evans was—predictably—buried in a book and reading next to the crackling embers.

'Alright, Evans?' James asked tentatively, causing her to jump.

'Fine,' she said, motioning for him to join her, which he took as a good sign.

James looked at her expectantly as she closed her book. 'So? How'd it go?' he asked.

'Sev?' Lily asked. 'He denies everything, of course.'

'And you believe him,' James said.

Lily regarded him carefully. 'Not really, no,' she said.

The admission took James off guard. 'So…what did you two talk about, then?'

'I want to have a frank discussion with you, Potter,' she said evenly.

James nodded. 'I'm listening.'

'Sev is in a dangerous place,' she said. 'We've kind of touched on this before, but it's never been more apparent. He and his friends are preparing to join the Death Eaters after they graduate from Hogwarts,' she said.

James' mouth worked for a moment. 'Did he say that to you?'

'No,' Lily said. 'Mulciber and Avery have said it, though. And Sev dodges the question every time I bring it up.'

'You think he's going to join with them,' James said. A statement, not a question.

Lily nodded. 'Unless someone is able to change his mind, yes,' she said.

'And you think that someone is you?' James asked.

'Who else does he have?' Lily asked patiently. 'His only other friends are that Slytherin lot he's hanging around with, and they're all chomping at the bit to join Voldemort. Mulciber might as well be a Death Eater already, he's so horrible,' she said in a disgusted tone. 'The point is, Potter—and this might sound conceited—I think I'm the only person who can save Sev from himself.'

James considered that. He also considered whether or not it would be wise to mention that Snape had directly told him that the reason he was planning to join the Death Eaters was to protect Lily. 'If there was a person,' he said after a moment, 'who could convince him not to, I agree, it would be you,' James said after a moment.

'You do?' Lily asked with a smile.

'But,' James said, 'I think convincing him is far easier said than done.'

Lily nodded. 'We've got three more years to work with, at least,' she said.

'Do we?' James asked. 'I mean, we're part of the Order now…is it a stretch to say Voldemort might start recruiting people straight out of Hogwarts?'

Lily stared at the fire. 'No, it isn't,' she said.

James looked at her for a moment; the flames were reflecting in her bright green eyes as they stared at the fire. 'So what _did _you say to Snape?'

'I said if I ever catch him plotting something like that, I'll confund him so hard he'll be permanently cross eyed,' Lily replied.

James shifted. 'He seemed quite pleased with himself,' he said.

'Naturally he would—he thinks he's getting off easy,' Lily said.

'But he's not?' James asked hopefully.

Lily laughed lightly. 'Not as easy as he thinks,' she said. 'I told him I wanted him to spend more time with me and less with Mulciber, Avery and Regulus.'

James scowled. 'That sounds pretty easy to me,' he said.

'It's about trying to stop him from becoming a Death Eater, Potter,' Lily said.

'I suppose,' James replied.

Lily bit her lip. 'You're not going to go looking for revenge, are you?' she asked.

'Me? No. I'm a man of my word,' James said with a wink. 'I can't make any promises about Sirius, though. His temper is legendary.'

Lily sighed. 'Yeah, Marlene,' she muttered. 'That was tactless.'

'Gudgeon's not much one for subtlety,' James observed.

'Well, neither are you,' Lily said with a smirk.

'Come off it—I'm very charming,' James said, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

Lily snorted. 'Yes, I'm sure your reflection loves you. Once magical law is amended to allow you to marry yourself, I'm sure you'll be quite happy.'

James roared with laughter at the joke and he settled his gaze on Lily. 'Don't you enjoy this?' he said. 'Our back and forth?'

Lily regarded him for a moment. 'Maybe,' she said. 'But I have to head to bed,' she declared, gathering her book and standing up. 'We have Defense first thing. Should be interesting.'

'Indeed,' James said. 'Speaking of reflections of my visage…give my regards to the mural of my face on your bed,' he said with a grin.

Lily rolled her eyes. 'I'll figure out how to get it off sooner or later,' she declared.

'It's really rather easy,' James said. 'A simple phrase unlocks it.'

'And you're not going to tell me what that is?' she asked.

James chuckled. 'No,' he said. 'The fun's going to be in when you stumble across it yourself. Good night, Evans,' he said as they both swept up into their dormitories.


	8. History and Spies

8

The following morning after breakfast, the fifth year Gryffindors and Slytherins began making their way towards the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. As they left the dining hall, Gideon and Fabian Prewett walked by, chortling lightly.

'Have fun with your first years last night, Remus?' Fabian asked.

'Yeah, I—wait, how did you…' Remus began.

Gideon laughed loudly. 'Sorry, mate. Couldn't resist giving them a few—er, _facts—_about the school,' he said.

'And by facts, we mean fiction, of course,' Fabian said smugly.

Remus groaned. 'What else did you tell them?' he asked.

'You'll see,' Gideon said as they took off down another hallway. James, Sirius, Remus, Peter and Lily found themselves in the awkward situation of moving down another hallway right alongside Mulciber, Avery and Snape. Mulciber leered at Peter, cracking his knuckles threateningly.

'You know,' Lily said airily, 'given that I tattooed your face with my fist, Mulciber, I'm surprised that you're trying to physically intimidate anyone.'

James, Peter and Sirius roared with laughter. Remus smiled but his hand had drifted to his robes where his wand was as Mulciber scowled in an ugly fashion at Lily.

'Eyes front, Mulciber,' Snape said softly and the hulking Mulciber grudgingly obeyed. James noticed that Snape's hand had also drifted down his robes to where he guessed his wand was.

They arrived at the door to the classroom and began filing in. To this point, each Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher had taken a slightly different approach with the classroom. Professor Bowen had left a wide berth at the front of the class for when he demonstrated defensive spells; Professor Mondego had kept the class dark and dreary, with a number of magical instruments balanced precariously around. Madam Bones had had all of the desks neatly lined, but easily moveable for when they practiced curses. Professor Fletcher had been so lazy that he had not even bothered to change Madam Bones' set up even once.

But this was markedly different. There were no chairs and no desks; the room seemed much larger as a result, and Professor Zharkov stood as tall and imposing as ever at the far end of the classroom. Frank and Alice had entered first, and he smiled benignly—a smile that did not quite seem to reach to his misty grey eyes.

'Come in,' he said in a deep, thickly accented voice. 'Sit wherever you like. You will not need your wands today,' he said.

'We're not going to practice anything?' Avery said indignantly as he, Mulciber and Snape sat down heavily near the back of the class.

Zharkov looked supremely indifferent to the comment, and he did not look at Avery as he spoke. 'When I have decided you are ready, you will practice,' he said flatly.

James and Sirius exchanged an intrigued look as everyone found a piece of floor to sit down on. This served to make Zharkov seem even bigger than he already was—James had a hunch that this subtle touch was by design to help him exude dominance.

'My name is Professor Anders Zharkov,' Zharkov said. 'As Professor Dumbledore told you, I taught at Durmstrang for a number of years.'

Lily raised her hand, and Zharkov nodded at her. 'If we're not going to be using our wands today, Professor Zharkov, what are we going to do?'

'We are going to review some history,' Zharkov said.

'Is this going to be just like History of Magic?' Avery interrupted, causing everyone to look apprehensively at Zharkov.

Zharkov cracked his neck. 'In my country,' he said in a dangerously soft voice, 'we have a word for people like you.'

'Really? In this one we have several,' Sirius joked, causing much of the class to laugh.

Zharkov glanced at Sirius and then turned back to Avery. 'The word is _neznayka_,' he said. 'Literally translated, it means _know-nothing. _It is representative of someone—or some people—who do not know anything about the situation in which they find themselves,' he said. 'Lord Voldemort is advancing upon your country, and you simply do not know enough.'

James raised a hand. Zharkov looked at him curiously and nodded. 'Professor, how do you know that we don't know enough?'

'Because,' Zharkov said. 'You are not nearly as afraid as you ought to be.' A ripple seemed to flow through the classroom at these words, and if Zharkov had not had their undivided attention before, he most certainly had it now. 'This is not the first time that a way of life has been threatened by an encroaching tyrant,' Zharkov said.

Frank raised his hand, and Zharkov nodded at him. 'Are you talking about Grindelwald?' Frank asked.

Zharkov stroked his chin. 'You would be Frank Longbottom, yes?' he asked. When Frank nodded, Zharkov smiled that same smile that did not reach all the corners of his face. 'Tell me, Mr. Longbottom, what it is you think you know about Grindelwald.'

'He was a tyrant, like you said,' Frank said. 'He went on a rampage across Europe, imprisoning or murdering those who opposed him.'

'How many people did he murder?' Zharkov asked softly.

Frank frowned. 'Well…that isn't exactly known,' he said.

'Why is that?' Zharkov asked. James had the sudden feeling that Zharkov was dictating the pace of the conversation, leading it to a conclusion.

Frank looked lost—a look that was decidedly out of place on his face. 'I'm not sure,' he said.

'Thank you, Mr. Longbottom,' Zharkov said. 'There is much about Grindelwald's rise to power that is not easy to verify,' he said. 'Your textbooks here in Britain remain woefully incomplete. The reason for that is not because your scholars lack knowledge of the situation, it is because there are so many conflicting reports about what exactly transpired. Normally, this information would be disseminated by the government. That was not the case with Grindelwald.'

Zharkov paused, and nobody moved. After a moment, Peter tentatively raised his hand. 'Why?' he asked. 'Why wasn't that the case?'

'Because one of the first things Grindelwald did, was to assume control of the portions of the government that communicated with other Ministries,' Zharkov said.

James felt as if his stomach had turned to ice—he glanced backwards at Frank and saw his expression mirrored there, and he knew they were both thinking the same thing. Back at their first meeting with the Order of the Phoenix. _Voldemort had spies in the Department of International Magical Co-Operation._

'You see the brilliance of it, the simplicity, I am sure,' Zharkov said. 'The branches of our ministries responsible for communicating the goings on within our countries' borders to our potential allies were infiltrated, thus cutting off assistance from the outside. It allowed Grindelwald complete freedom to conduct his reign of terror unimpeded by foreign elements.'

Lily raised her hand. 'How did word eventually get out?' she asked.

Zharkov rubbed his chins. 'Rumors had been reaching around for some time,' he said. 'People would escape with claims of atrocities being committed in various countries across Europe, but they were contradicted by the official word from the Ministries that nothing was wrong. So no help ever came. This changed when an individual whose word carried some weight got the information to the proper person,' Zharkov said.

Alice raised her hand now. 'You mean Dumbledore?'

Zharkov nodded. 'I do,' he said.

'So he came to your aid right away?' Alice asked.

For the briefest of moments, Zharkov paused. 'Yes,' he said. 'He came to assist in battling Grindelwald, and you know the rest. They dueled, and Professor Dumbledore emerged victorious.'

'Who was the person that got word to Dumbledore?' Mulciber asked in a dumb tone.

'A spy,' Zharkov replied. 'With intimate knowledge of the situation.'

'What sort of intimate knowledge?' Marlene McKinnon asked curiously, causing Sirius to shift uncomfortably next to James.

Zharkov appeared to contemplate the question. 'Something that confirmed to Professor Dumbledore that the information was legitimate. Setting it apart from other rumors that had reached the British Ministry. What exactly that is remains…unclear.'

Snape raised his hand and Zharkov nodded at him. 'So why do you tell us this now?' he asked in a slow voice. 'Are you trying to paint a parallel between the Dark Lord and Grindelwald?'

'There is no parallel to be painted—they are, for all intents and purposes, the same,' Zharkov said. 'Voldemort is following the same trend that Grindelwald set. The death toll has not even begun to mount. You think your Ministry suffered significant losses with the devastation of the Auror office last spring? Think again. Grindelwald's death toll approached millions.' An audible gasp sounded from the room at this, and Zharkov turned his gaze on Snape. 'You might think,' he said, 'that because Voldemort himself has not been caught red handed murdering someone that he is above this. That perhaps he has just aligned himself with psychopaths. You would be mistaken. Grindelwald started out in much the same sense—but beneath the veneer of respectability and affluence he showed to the world, laid a simple murderer who had been given a large stage to perform on.'

Lily raised her hand again. 'So what do we do?' she asked. 'How do we prepare ourselves to fight against this?'

James saw Snape clench his jaw as he looked at Lily. Lily almost seemed to be determinedly looking away from him as she asked.

'You have been taught a variety of different magical styles, attacks and defenses,' Zharkov said. 'You have also been taught about magical law—both how to abide by it and how to break it,' he said. 'We will first arm ourselves with knowledge. What paths is Voldemort following, and what steps is he likely to take next. Once I am convinced of your knowledge both of history and your ability to anticipate what is to come, we will move on to how to tackle his Death Eaters and dark creatures in combat.'

'And after that?' Sirius asked bluntly.

Zharkov looked at Sirius shrewdly. 'After that,' he said slowly, 'we will proceed to the subject of how to defeat Lord Voldemort himself.'

An excited whisper filled the room as the bell rang, dismissing class. 'Your homework for tonight,' Zharkov said, 'is two rolls of parchment on Grindelwald's rise to power in Europe. Utilize anything you can for the assignment—library books, hearsay, Ministry reports, eyewitness accounts. Do not just settle for what you find in one resource.'

They all gathered their bags and left the classroom. James didn't have to look far to find the others—Mary McDonald, Marlene, Alice and Frank were standing off to the side of the hallway by themselves. James, Sirius, Remus and Peter joined them, Lily a moment behind. James caught Snape scowling at them as he and his Slytherin cohorts disappeared.

'Wow,' Mary said quietly.

'I'll say,' Peter said. 'We never heard about that in History of Magic, did we?'

Lily sighed. 'It's like he said, isn't it?' she murmured. 'There's no official account of what exactly went on in the countries Grindelwald took over.'

'What he said about information not getting out of the countries, though,' Frank said quietly. 'That was disturbing.'

Alice looked worried. 'Caradoc is there now,' she said. 'Hopefully he can keep things in check.'

'Just make sure he's watching his own backside,' Sirius said stiffly. 'We don't want him being placed under the Imperius Curse.'

'How would I tell if it had even happened?' Alice said fretfully.

Frank smiled reassuringly. 'Caradoc's a tough nut, he'd be pretty difficult to get under the curse in the first place,' he said. 'And we'll think of some sort of code that we can use back and forth—something to be absolutely sure it's really him we're speaking to,' he said.

Alice looked somewhat mollified. 'Thanks,' she said, leaning her head on Frank's shoulder.

'This really is going to happen here, isn't it?' Marlene asked softly. 'A rise to power…a war…murdering innocent people…' she trailed off.

James set his jaw. 'Not if we have anything to say about it,' he said.

'Did you catch the bit about the spy who got information to Dumbledore?' Remus asked, and everyone nodded. Remus glanced back at the classroom. 'How much would you wager that it was Zharkov himself?' he asked in a low voice.

Mary looked curiously back at the classroom. 'You think he was a spy?'

'It would make sense,' Lily said slowly. 'But it would also beg a question I somehow doubt we'd get an answer to.'

'What's that?' Alice asked as they began to walk towards their next class.

'What is it,' Lily said, 'that Zharkov would have said to Dumbledore to convince him that all of it was true?'


	9. Deadlines and Secrets

9

'Come on, Peter, you can do this,' James said encouragingly.

Peter's face was truly amusing—his eyebrows were knitted together in fierce concentration, sweat trickled down his cheeks, his teeth were grit and his face was slowly turning from red to purple. Sirius did a far less admirable job of hiding his amusement than James did as he started to laugh. That laughter turned to a cheer a moment later when the long, rubbery tail that had shot out of Peter's backside several hours before seemed to magically suck itself back into Peter's body, prompting him to collapse on all fours, panting.

'Well done,' Remus said in a relieved tone of voice as he waved his wand, summoning a bottle of butterbeer over from his bag and offering to Peter, who accepted it gratefully.

'Best progress yet,' James said, shooting Sirius a withering glare.

'Well done,' Sirius gasped. 'Really—that was good.'

Peter gulped down the butterbeer and looked at Sirius like a wounded dog. 'Fat lot of help you were,' he mumbled.

'Never doubted you for a second,' Sirius said. 'But really—your face was priceless.'

They were in the Shrieking Shack and the time was fast approaching three in the morning. Sometime around midnight, Peter had experienced the breakthrough of growing a massive tail. Initially, the mood was jubilant—high fives were exchanged all around, Peter looked affectionately at his tail which was by far the biggest it had ever been and his greatest stride yet in becoming an Animagus. 'It looks like a giant worm,' Sirius had declared.

That had changed, however, when Peter had had a profound amount of difficulty in making it disappear again, beginning the three hour Odyssey that saw Remus, James and Sirius relegated to the roles of cheerleaders as Peter struggled to regain his normal form. 'I've told you three there are risks,' Remus said fretfully as Peter downed the rest of his butterbeer, wiping the sweat from his brow.

'All's all that ends well, Moony,' Sirius said airily. 'My turn for a go?'

'It's past three,' Remus observed. 'We really should be going and trying to get something resembling sleep,' he said.

Sirius looked affronted. 'But Prongs and I didn't even get to practice tonight!' he said.

'Relax, we've got loads of other opportunities,' James said sarcastically. The first week of school had passed briskly—Lily and Remus had proven to be quite correct about OWL year being a completely different work pace. Professor Zharkov had not been the only teacher to assign several rolls of parchment for homework. McGonagall and Flitwick had both requested exceedingly difficult Transfiguration and Charm transcriptions, while Professor Binns had assigned a whopping four rolls on the origin of the bad relations between Goblins and Wizards. Jovial Professor Slughorn had decided to 'do them a favour' by _only_asking them to concoct a brutally difficult potion with an impossible to pronounce name. To compound it, no one—not even Slughorn himself—seemed to know what it did. 'The fun will be in finding out!' he declared, to which Sirius had said 'What if it blows us all up?'

No one had answered.

But now they gathered their bags and set off down the path to the base of the Whomping Willow. Peter's mood was much improved by the fact that he no longer had a tail that was several feet long. 'So what do you suppose I'll be?' he said curiously.

'That tail was huge,' Sirius said. 'Maybe you'll be something big?'

'Not necessarily,' Remus cut in. 'All of you have changed slightly but still remained mostly human—the size of his tail may not be indicative of his overall size.'

Sirius rolled his eyes. 'Thanks, Professor,' he said.

James chuckled. 'It's kind of hard to tell from just that. I mean, we have the elongated nose that you managed over the last year, the fact that you shrunk half a foot, and now this long tail. Maybe you'll be a mountain lion?'

'That would be cool,' Peter said impressively.

Remus rubbed his chin. 'Given the elongated snout and the texture of the tail, I'd say something from the rodent family,' he said.

Now, Peter looked affronted. 'Thanks a lot, Moony!'

'I'm not being insulting,' Remus said defensively.

'No, you're being a Know-it-All,' James declared. 'Loony Moony the Perfect Prefect.'

Remus rolled his eyes. 'Stuff it,' he muttered.

'Had any more adventures with those first years?' Sirius chuckled as they arrived at the base of the tree.

It had been an inauspicious first week for poor Remus. While Lily had escaped the trickery of the Prewett Twins and was having an easy time with her first year girls, Remus was nearly on the verge of tearing his hair out over his first year boys. He couldn't keep track of all the miscellaneous bits of fiction that they had been told—from getting stuck in trick steps, to being locked in the cupboards by Peeves, they were proving to be more than a handful. Perhaps the worst had been when Fabian had offered to give them a guided tour of the Girls' Dormitory before conveniently forgetting his 'map' in his own room. 'Just go on up to the top of the stairs, I'll be there in a moment!' he had declared.

The staircase had turned into a slide, the alarms had wailed, and the thirteen students who were all trundling up the stairs in single file landed in a crushing heap at the bottom. Four had been forced to go see Madam Pomfrey for a broken wrist, a concussion, a bloodied nose and a broken rib.

'Don't remind me,' Remus muttered. 'I realize it's their last year and all, but they're making my life rather difficult.'

James chuckled. 'I could put in a good word, see if they'd rather prank Evans?' he said.

Remus snorted. 'That is one hornet's nest I do not wish to kick,' he declared as they climbed out to the base of the tree. James poked his head out first.

'We making a run for it, then?' he asked.

Sirius grinned. 'I bet Peter gets furthest tonight,' he said.

'I'll take myself,' Remus declared as he stretched, limbering up.

James laughed. 'You're both on,' he said as he hoisted himself out of the ground and ran as quickly as he could away from the tree. He saw the first branch swing in at him from his peripheral vision and he leapt nimbly through the air, letting it slide over top of him. Just before his feet touched the ground, however, another branch swung in from the opposite direction and slammed him in mid-air, sending him flipping forwards and sideways to the ground with a bone jarring thud.

He heard Sirius bark with laughter from the tree. 'That was awesome!' Sirius said.

'Quiet!' Remus' voice hissed out. 'Do you want to wake the whole castle?'

Sirius came out next. He took three steps when his foot caught a root in the ground, causing him to trip. It was momentarily advantageous as a formidable looking branch just whizzed over his head ominously. With a triumphant look, Sirius crawled forward back to his feet, only to be struck in the rear end with astonishing force by a club like branch that sent him sailing straight into James, sending both of them crashing to the ground once more.

'That was even more awesome,' James chuckled.

'I did better than you,' Sirius taunted.

James snorted. 'Only because you tripped.'

'You have to be good to be lucky,' Sirius declared.

'Here comes Moony,' James interrupted and they both turned as Remus hopped out of the hole at the base of the tree. He flattened himself to the base of the tree as a massive branch swung by, just missing him. He then did a double footed leap forward, landing again and waiting, his head swivelling in all directions trying to see from where the tree was going to strike.

'Ouch,' Sirius said as it happened—two branches swung from two opposite directions. Remus dodged the one to his left, but never saw the right one coming. It caught him in the back of his legs, flipping him into the air, where he was then batted solidly by the same club-like branch that had sent Sirius flying. Remus landed with a thud a few feet away from Sirius and James.

'Nice moves, Moony, but the Willow didn't appreciate your subtlety,' Sirius joked.

Remus stood, cracking his neck as he did so. 'I think I broke my butt,' he muttered ruefully as James stifled laughter.

'Come on, Peter! It's all on you now—are you a man or a mouse?' Sirius hissed.

Peter did not immediately appear from the hole at the base of the tree. But when he did, it was as though he had been fired into the air out of a cannon. 'Oh, hover charm,' James said appreciatively.

'Wotcher, now!' Remus chimed in as Peter rolled through the air, just narrowly avoiding a branch that swung at him. A moment later, though, he had flown high, free and clear of the branches. James, Sirius and Remus cheered quietly below.

'Nicely done! Now get down from there before someone sees you!' James implored.

'Uh—wait—how—' Peter began. 'Finite!' he hissed.

This ended up being a bad decision, as he promptly plummeted back down towards the swinging branches of the tree. James grit his teeth, waiting for the moment where Peter would be slammed by a branch. But while Sirius and James had been frozen in shock, Remus had quickly cast a hover charm of his own, deftly moving Peter away from the tree and gently lowering him.

'Thanks, Moony,' Peter said appreciatively as he touched down. 'I didn't think that one fully through.'

Sirius chuckled. 'Forgot how to lower yourself?' he mused.

Peter flushed red. 'Maybe,' he muttered.

'Well, you're still the winner for the evening,' James declared. 'Who has the Map, anyway?' he asked.

'Right here,' Sirius said as he pulled the Marauders' Map out of his robes. 'I solemnly swear I am up to no good,' he said as he tapped his wand to the parchment. In the meantime, James was fishing his Invisibility Cloak out of his robes.

Remus rubbed his backside again. 'Are we in the clear?' he asked.

'No,' Sirius said.

'No?' Peter asked in alarm. 'Who's awake at this hour?'

Sirius glanced up at them. 'Snivellus, of course,' he muttered. 'He's lurking around by the front door. You know, we're in a perfect position to lure him outside and lock him there…'

Remus sighed. 'Yes, you've suggested this course of action several times already,' he said somewhat impatiently. 'It hasn't been a good idea on any of those occasions, and it's no better now.'

Sirius rolled his eyes. 'Sorry, Mum,' he mumbled.

James chuckled again. 'So what's our best way in? Straight past him?'

'Looks that way,' Sirius said. James swept the cloak over top of them and they approached the doors leading into the entrance hall, sliding in one of the smaller side doors as opposed to opening the massive entryway. It didn't take long for them to spot Snape—he was on the other side of the hall, peering out another of the small side doors.

They quietly moved away and headed towards the Gryffindor common room. 'Do you think he knows we went out? Or is he just guessing?' Peter asked as they climbed the stairs of Gryffindor tower.

'Maybe a bit of both,' James replied. 'He's pretty much made it his life mission to get me in trouble. With Lily, with the school, with the Ministry…doesn't really matter which one of them finally catches me,' he muttered.

'And yet you still insist on tempting fate,' Remus said.

James chuckled. 'Walk on the wild side, for once, Moony,' he said.

'I do. Once a month,' Remus replied dryly.

Sirius pursed his lips. 'When is your time of the month this month?' he asked

'A week this Saturday,' Remus replied as he straightened his robes.

James ran a hand through his hair—they were all trying to make themselves presentable. On the off chance that someone was awake in the common room, their official story was that Remus had agreed to take them out on his rounds and they had lost track of time. 'Two weeks for us to get this in the bag, then,' James replied.

'Right. Easy as pie, that is,' Sirius said sarcastically. 'This little thing we've been trying to figure out for three years will be a piece of cake in the next two weeks.'

Peter smirked. 'You're just crabby because you haven't grown a tail or prongs yet,' he said.

Sirius looked scandalized. 'I do _not_ want a tail like that,' he said. 'That gummy, wormy little looking thing. You're welcome to that, Peter,' he said with a shudder.

'Just jealous of my prongs then,' James said proudly.

Sirius rolled his eyes. 'Keep telling yourself that,' he muttered.

'Flibbertygibbet,' Remus said firmly and the portrait hole swung open. There was a moment of surprise as they realized that someone was standing on the other side, waiting for them. Lily Evans smirked at them, looking none more tired than they were.

'Been having a nice stroll?' she asked matter of factly.

Remus blinked. 'As a matter of fact, I was letting them accompany me on my rounds. You see, I'm supposed to be helping these three become responsible adults, so I thought letting them shadow me as I completed my duties as a prefect would be helpful.'

Lily giggled. 'Oh, Moony,' she said. 'You really ought not to try lying to me. You're quite bad at it.'

'I—well—that is to say—' Remus stammered.

James chuckled. 'Alright, Evans?' he asked. 'What has you up so late?'

'Quid pro quo, Potter. You go first,' Lily said, folding her arms.

James grinned. 'Sorry—Marauders' secrets,' he said.

Lily pursed her lips. 'Sirius?' she asked.

'Ah, no, sorry—James speaks for all of us,' Sirius said. Peter simply stared at the floor as Lily turned her gaze upon him.

Lily sighed. 'Just please tell me you're not planning some horrible prank on some undeserving party,' she pleaded.

Sirius barked with laughter, earning reproachful looks from the others. 'Sorry. No, we weren't—although I feel I should add, we've never pranked an _undeserving party_,' he said.

Lily sighed and stepped aside to admit them. 'Were you waiting up for us?' James asked in a bemused tone.

'Don't flatter yourself,' Lily said, but her cheeks had a distinctly pinkish hue to them. That was only exacerbated when Sirius pulled her into an embrace.

'You're adorable,' he said. 'A true Marauder.'

Lily shoved him back, but smiled as she cocked an eyebrow. 'Is a true Marauder kept out of group secrets?' she asked.

Sirius chuckled. 'She's not going to let this one go, mate,' he said.

'On that note, I'm going to bed. See you in the morning,' Remus said briskly and he made a beeline for the stairs to the boys' dormitory, Sirius and Peter in hot pursuit. James made to go around Lily, but she grabbed his arm. He turned to look at her, her green eyes were now beseeching.

'Potter,' she said. 'You're not getting into anything you oughtn't to, are you?' she whispered.

James chuckled. 'Not at all, Evans,' he said.

'Then why won't you tell me what you four are up to? I know you sneak out at night a lot,' she said.

James pursed his lips. 'Ask me again sometime,' he said.

Lily raised her eyebrows. 'When?' she asked.

James headed for the staircase. 'Some time after you've agreed to go out with me,' he said with his best roguish grin.

'That could be never!' Lily said, her jaw dropping.

'Then there's the answer for when I'll tell you,' James laughed. 'Good night, Evans.'


	10. Announcements and Love

10

'_It's the moooooost wonderful tiiiiiiiime of the yeeeeeeear…' _James sang at the top of his voice.

'It's not Christmas for a few months yet,' Lily said in confusion from where she sat by the fireplace, loading her schoolbag with books for the day. It was the early morning, and James was relatively sure that she was stunned that he was so chipper after having gotten to bed so late. She didn't look any the worse for wear either, though.

'Who was talking about Christmas?' James asked flatly, causing Lily's facial expression to become even more confused

Frank chuckled as he finished sticking his note to the notice board in the Gryffindor Common Room. James beamed happily at it, and Lily finally seemed to get it. 'Ah…Quidditch season is upon us, I see,' she said dryly.

Alice Dearborn grinned as she bounded down the stairs from the girls' dormitory. 'Yes, the time to play the lovely game is almost upon us! It's been far too long since we mopped the pitch with Slytherin tears,' she said happily.

Lily pursed her lips and James laughed. 'Oh come on, Evans, not every slight against Slytherin is a slight against Snape,' James said.

'I suppose not,' Lily replied, looking somewhat placated.

'Although humiliating him on the pitch _is _about as good as it gets,' James added, causing Alice to burst out laughing as Lily's eyes narrowed at him, a renewed look of coldness on her face.

She sniffed. 'You really shouldn't be so cocky. It'd make you look awfully foolish in the event you lost,' she said in a slightly cool tone.

'Who said anything about losing?' Frank asked diplomatically as he packed his books into his bag. 'We have Zharkov first this morning, if we don't move now we're going to be late. Aren't we, ah, missing a few members of our party?'

As if on cue, the door to the boys' dormitory opened. Remus emerged looking sharp and alert for the day. He practically dragged a semi-comatose Sirius and Peter behind him as they mumbled their protests. 'Can't I call in sick just this once?' Sirius moaned. He was an amusing sight, with his hair looking utterly dishevelled.

'That's hardly the kind of influence I hope to have on you,' Remus replied with an air of superiority.

Sirius' eyes suddenly seemed to snap awake as he saw something from across the room—Marlene had just emerged from the girls' dormitory, and she was taking him in with an air of amusement. 'Is it even possible?' she asked sarcastically. 'Sirius Black, not looking immaculately well put together?'

Sirius snorted. 'Is it nice waking up at four in the morning?' he asked.

Marlene frowned. 'What do you mean?'

'Just that you look great,' Sirius said nonchalantly.

Everyone exchanged surprised looks, and Marlene wasn't able to mask hers completely. 'I—well—thank you,' she said.

Sirius grinned. 'It must have taken you _all_ morning,' he added dryly, causing Marlene to flush. Remus grimaced as she stormed out of the room in a huff.

'Nice going,' Remus muttered.

'Oh come off it, Moony. She had a go at me first,' Sirius said irritably.

Lily sighed. 'Alice, shall we go catch up with her?'

'We'd better,' Alice said and the two of them walked quickly to the portrait hole and exited.

Frank cleared his throat. 'Well, we'd best get a move on,' he said slowly and they all moved as one through the portrait hole and began walking down the hallway.

'You alright?' James asked.

Sirius shrugged. 'Why wouldn't I be?' he said. 'So, Zharkov up first, guess we should all look alive,' he said.

'He's a pretty dramatic improvement over Fletcher, that's for sure,' Frank said. 'He's one defense professor I wouldn't mind seeing stick around.'

James chuckled. 'Almost seems to alternate, doesn't it?' he asked. 'First we had Bowen, who was nice, then we had Mondego, who was…'

'…a git,' Sirius provided. 'Not meaning to speak ill of the dead, but a spade is a spade.'

James nodded. 'Then we had Madam Bones, who I think was pretty good. Then we had Fletcher, and now Zharkov.'

'Well, hopefully he sticks,' Remus said firmly. 'You'd have to figure this jinx will be broken at some point or another. How long has it even been going for?'

Peter looked aghast. '_You're _asking _us?_ If you don't know, there's no hope for anyone,' he said, causing them all to chuckle. They arrived not long thereafter at Professor Zharkov's classroom. James noted that Lily and Alice were sitting in hushed conversation with Marlene, while Mary McDonald lounged easily behind them. She glanced over at James and caught his eye, her face beaming. James waved tentatively and sat down on the floor on the opposite side of the room.

'Looks like someone's still fond of you,' Sirius said as he yawned.

'Understatement,' Peter replied. 'She reckons this is her year; with Dorcas off the team, she's hoping to make it as Keeper and spend more time with you.'

James shook his head. 'She doesn't give up, I have to give her that,' he said.

'Sounds like someone else we know,' Remus said with a sidelong glance as Professor Zharkov walked in the door to the classroom, shutting it behind him, thus preventing James from retorting. He silently strode to the front of the room before turning to face them all.

'Good morning,' he said crisply. 'I'll collect your parchments on Grindelwald's systematic takeover of branches of government now,' he added, waving his wand and sending all the parchments neatly onto his desk. 'Snape,' he added, looking over at the cluster of Slytherins who sat together away from the Gryffindors. 'Where did we leave off last class?'

Snape glanced up. 'Grindelwald had constructed Nurmengard,' he said slowly.

'Another similarity between how he and Lord Voldemort operate,' Zharkov said, causing a slight murmur in the class. Zharkov cocked an eyebrow. 'You disagree?' he asked.

Lily raised her hand. 'I'm just not sure I understand,' she said. 'Voldemort hasn't constructed a prison. At least, not that we know of.'

'He has not had to. Your Ministry has already done that for him with Azkaban.'

James glanced involuntarily over at Snape—at the same moment, Snape turned his gaze to James, his black eyes narrowing and his lip curling.

'But Azkaban is under the Ministry's control…' Frank said with a frown.

'For the moment. To assume that it will remain as such would be optimistic to the point of foolishness,' he said. 'Your Ministry has fallen prey to the same mistakes that many others did, and that was allowing the Dementors to guard their prisons. The Dementors are natural allies for tyrants such as Grindelwald and Voldemort—tyrants who are able to give them a far broader scope to use their abilities.'

Peter looked terrified. 'You think that's going to happen?'

'If it is not already happening, Pettigrew, I guarantee it will soon,' Zharkov said ominously.

They carried on in much the same vein for the rest of the class. Zharkov used the fact that the giants had flocked to Voldemort's side as evidence that the Dementors would soon follow. He also pointed to their utilization of the Inferi during the previous year—a moment which had caused Peter to become quite faint as he no doubt remembered having the Cruciatus Curse placed upon him—as further support of this.

'It's all rather grim, isn't it?' Sirius said dully as they headed off to Transfiguration.

'Our Ministry has to be working on preventing that from happening, doesn't it?' Peter asked.

Frank shook his head from where he walked next to them. 'The Ministry is already spread to its virtual breaking point,' he said. 'I doubt the Dementors and Azkaban are high on their list of concerns. Although you can be sure if Zharkov knows, then Dumbledore is going to be in Bagnold's ear.'

'Oi, what was Snivellus glaring at you for?' Sirius asked suddenly.

James frowned. 'I dunno. Just Snape being Snape, isn't it?' he asked.

'Sirius is right,' Remus said uncomfortably. 'He was looking at you rather intently today. Did something happen?'

'No,' James said with an incredulous laugh. 'If something did, you think I wouldn't tell you?'

Remus shrugged. 'Perhaps not if you worried we might tell Lily…' he said.

'Which we wouldn't do because we're Marauders,' Sirius said forcefully with a glare at Remus. 'Right, Moony?'

'I'm not saying I would have ratted,' Remus replied diplomatically. 'Only that James might have feared we would.'

'It's a non-issue,' James cut in as Sirius opened his mouth to reply, 'because nothing happened. He probably just daydreamed a particularly fascinating way of removing my head from my body and he wanted to give it a good look,' he said, causing Sirius to laugh darkly.

The rest of the day seemed to pass in a haze—with the announcement of Quidditch Trials beginning the following week, James could scarcely stop himself from staring out the window at the skies and envisioning himself ripping through the air on his Nimbus 1500.

This, of course, lead to an entirely different string of daydreaming centering on the fact that Lily Evans was riding on the back of his broom, her arms wrapped around his waist, her breath on his neck—

'Are you with us, Prongs?' Sirius asked jokingly. 'You've barely touched supper.'

James shook his head—they were now eating dinner. Or rather, everyone else had been, apparently, he was just staring out the window.

'I knew they should have kept the Quidditch announcement from you,' Lily said slyly from the other side of the table. 'You've been thinking about it all day, haven't you?'

Sirius barked with laughter as James smirked. 'On the contrary, Evans, I was daydreaming about you,' he said earnestly.

'Oh do sod off,' she said, but her chinks were pink.

'You must get awfully tired from running around in my thoughts all day,' James went on as Sirius, Remus and Peter chuckled.

Lily sighed. 'Well, it's good to know it's not _all _Quidditch in there, I suppose,' she muttered.

James chuckled. 'We still have our little wager, remember? About who scores the most on OWLs?'

'Yes,' Lily said. 'One that I look forward to winning.'

Now, James was grinning mischievously. 'I remember another wager you looked forward to winning, Evans. Involving a date?'

Lily dropped her fork as Sirius 'oooooh'd'. 'I'd forgotten that,' she said hastily.

'How sad. Fortunately, I did not,' James replied as he puffed up his chest. 'And I think it's high time you held up your end of the bargain.'

Alice was grinning now as she watched the back and forth. 'How romantic—your first date,' she said in a husky voice, causing Lily to whip her hand out. Alice's Seeker reflexes came to her defense and she dodged it. 'You'd make a terrible Quidditch Player, Lily. Reflexes like a sloth.'

Lily rolled her eyes and looked at the ceiling, as if searching for divine inspiration. 'You say you love us all equally,' she said to no one in particular, pointing at the sky. 'But you don't, do you? Hm? I'm onto you.'

Peter leaned over. 'Is she taking the mickey?' he asked quietly.

'She's talking to God,' Remus said.

'Oh, that's nice,' Peter said happily, but then he looked bewildered. 'Who's God? And why is he in the ceiling?'

After finishing a hearty fill of dinner, they made their way back up to the common room. James had managed to stuff himself with some of the potatoes, roast and beans, and everyone was moving rather sluggishly. That did not stop Sirius from whooping with joy, however, when he spotted a plate of éclairs next to the fire.

'Bless those House Elves!' he said as he bounded across the room, gaining his second win as he happily plucked one from the plate and shoved it into his mouth. 'Fey freally far food fo fe,' he said.

'What was that, urdu?' Remus asked incredulously as he sat down, rubbing his own stomach as Sirius helped himself to seconds. A scowl crossed his face and James turned to see Marlene coming through the door, talking with Mary as she did.

'You know,' Sirius grunted as he swallowed. 'I've got this figured out. I'm going to become a monk.'

Remus snorted. 'Really?'

'Well, maybe not a monk—but a love celibate,' Sirius said. 'All girls are good for is trouble,' he declared as he helped himself to thirds.

James chuckled. 'What happened to being extremely good looking and having your pick of the litter?' he asked.

Sirius shrugged. 'Look, but don't touch,' he said coyly.

'You are going to die of a heart attack before we even graduate if you don't slow down eating those,' Remus said in a somewhat revolted tone.

'Well, you're all welcome to some,' Sirius said, offering the plate to Peter.

'No, I'm stuffed from dinner,' he said.

James frowned. 'So how long have the elves been bringing éclairs up here for you?'

Sirius shrugged. 'They haven't been,' he said.

James and Remus exchanged a confused look. 'Then how do you know they're for you?'

'Who else would they be for?' Sirius said as if he were explaining something to a very small child. 'But anyway, like I was saying—I've decided that being a love celibate…is…the…' he trailed off, a funny look now on his face.

James blinked expectantly. 'Is…? What?'

Sirius looked mournfully at his plate.

'Had your fill?' Remus asked scornfully.

'Got gas?' Peter offered.

'It's no good,' Sirius mumbled. 'I love her.'

James blinked again, this time in surprise. 'I—well—you do, eh?' he said in surprise as Remus and Peter looked at him with equally flabbergasted expressions.

'She doesn't even realize it though,' Sirius said sadly.

Remus cleared his throat. 'Well, maybe you should sit down and tell her,' he said. 'I mean—sure, you insulted her just this morning, but if she knew you were sorry—'

'Insulted?' Sirius suddenly roared, causing the other three of them to jump. James saw heads from all around the dormitory suddenly turn to look at them. 'I would never dare,' he said in an extremely strange tone of voice. 'Anyone who insulted her would have me to deal with!'

Now Remus looked utterly bemused. 'Who…who are you talking about?'

Sirius blinked. 'Who are _you _talking about?'

'Marlene McKinnon,' Remus said slowly. 'Sirius, are you sure you're—?'

'Marlene McKinnon?' Sirius said incredulously. 'I'm not talking about Marlene McKinnon. No, the love of my life is that wildest of flowers, that thorniest of roses…'

Peter looked terrified. 'Maybe he's gone sugar crazy?' he whispered.

'It's not insanity,' Sirius said fiercely. 'My love for her is like a breaking dam, gushing water forth…'

James struggled to maintain a straight face. 'Alright, Sirius. Just who are we talking about?'

'_Lily Evans_,' Sirius said glowingly.

There was a moment of silence, and then Peter laughed nervously. 'Right. Well—good one, Sirius, you had us going, there.'

'LILY!' Sirius shouted suddenly, causing Peter to jump so hard that his knee smashed the table. He cried out in agony as he clutched his leg, the combined sounds drawing stares from everyone. From across the room, they saw Lily look up from her studying in alarm. Sirius leapt to his feet and bounded over several chairs, scattering younger students in his wake before arriving in front of her. Her face was a combination of amusement and confusion. 'Lily, I love you,' Sirius gushed in a romantic voice.

Lily's eyes flicked to James. 'Is this some kind of prank?' she asked.

'I would never joke about my love for you,' Sirius said earnestly as he grabbed her hand and kissed it.

'OI!' Lily said, withdrawing her hand and smacking Sirius on the nose with a roll of parchment. 'Just what do you think you're doing?'

Sirius had recoiled, now. 'It's someone else, isn't it? ISN'T IT?' he shouted.

Lily looked incredulously at James, who had been frozen to the spot during this whole ordeal. He looked over at Remus incredulously, but Remus was staring from the plate of éclairs to Sirius rapidly. 'James, I think—' Remus began, but Sirius suddenly turned and pointed at James.

'IT'S HIM, YOU LOVE, ISN'T IT!' Sirius shouted, turning to look beseechingly at Lily and causing some of the other students to back up several paces. He turned to James once more, his eyes alive with fury as he screamed, 'JAMES POTTER—I'LL KILL YOU!'


	11. Battles and Plans

11

James was still standing there in open-mouthed awe when Sirius collided into him. Peter had hurled himself into Sirius' path, but bounced off of him in an effect somewhat akin to a fly colliding with the windshield of a seven-whatsit-seven. Sirius was roaring with primal rage as he tackled James to the ground, the latter's reflexes finally coming to his aid as he raised his forearms just in time to deflect a punch to the head.

'I'LL KILL YOU!' Sirius bellowed, his other hand wriggling between James' arms and clutching at his throat.

'Someone get him OFF me!' James hollered just as loudly.

Chaos erupted—no one seemed quite sure what to do. James knew a momentary feeling of being crushed as Remus leapt onto Sirius' back, and then the two rolled off of him. Sirius slammed his elbow back, sinking it straight into Remus's stomach. Remus wheezed, his grip slackening enough for Sirius to break free as his friend doubled over. James scrambled backwards over the couch as Sirius gave another primal roar and charged, running towards him much faster than he was retreating. He leapt clear over the sofa and caught James once more.

'Someone stun him!' Alice called.

'No! Don't hurt him!' James choked as Sirius tried to land a punch onto his face.

Peter leapt into the fray once more, jumping onto Sirius' back. His hands snaked around Sirius' neck and suddenly they were standing, Sirius rushing backwards into a wall in an attempt to crush Peter. Remus stuck his foot out from where he lay on the ground gasping for air. With an almighty crash, Sirius and Peter hit the ground.

'Peter, get back!' Lily shouted, her wand pointed at Sirius.

But James leapt between them. 'Don't hurt him, he's not himself—' he began.

Sirius collided with him in the middle of his back, causing all the air to leave James' body at once. He crashed into the ground at Lily's feet, and was faintly aware that Lily was trying to haul Sirius off of him.

'Sirius, stop, please—you'll kill him!' Lily pleaded.

'IF I'M LUCKY!' Sirius roared as he wrapped an arm around James' throat in a sleeper hold. 'I'M DOING THIS FOR YOU, MY LOVE!'

There was a sudden feeling of relief as Sirius was lifted off of James. He rolled onto his back to see Remus and Peter hauling him backwards along the floor. Displaying impressive—and unfortunate—dexterity, Sirius flipped completely backwards in their grasp, his foot slamming Remus in the chin. Peter released his grip in terror and stumbled back, tripping over a chair and crashing to the ground once more. Sirius turned, a determined look on his face as his eyes locked on James.

'Wait!' James said, holding his hand out. 'Just wait!'

'This is the only way,' Sirius said firmly. 'You are an obstacle in Lily's affection for me!'

'This is insane,' Lily moaned.

Sirius pointed. 'YOU SEE?' he shouted. 'She is overcome with emotion at your peril!'

James shook his head in exasperation, fighting off the mad urge to laugh at the words coming out of his best friend's mouth. 'Then how do you see that improving if you kill me, mate?' he asked incredulously. 'You think she'll just get over it?'

'In time,' Sirius said and he charged once more.

'Oh, bloody hell,' James muttered as he set himself. When Sirius was about a foot away, James dropped into a crouch. He felt Sirius' shins strike his back and then he promptly stood up, launching Sirius into the air. He yelled out in surprise as he landed heavily on the couch, crashing to the floor.

'Lily!' Remus gasped from the corner where he was regaining his feet, blood streaming from his mouth. 'Go get Madam Pomfrey!'

Lily looked confused. 'Madam Pomfrey? What good will she do?' she shouted as Sirius rushed past her, charging James once more.

Remus pointed at the eclaires just as Sirius collided with James. 'I think he's been poisoned!' he shouted.

'Sirius—this—isn't—you—' James grunted as he tried to fight off his friend.

'It—is—now—' Sirius growled back.

Peter scuttled along the ground and grabbed Sirius by the legs. Sirius swore angrily, but suddenly, Peter hugged his legs together. Sirius swayed for a moment, wind milling his arms frantically at the sudden loss of his center of gravity, and he crashed to the floor. James flung himself onto his back, Remus soon accompanying him so all three of them were lying atop their friend.

'GET OFF!' Sirius grunted.

'Not on your life,' James panted. 'Lily—be a dear, won't you? Fetch Madam Pomfrey?'

Sirius let loose a string of expletives as Lily took off through the portrait hole, leaving a scattered group of stunned Gryffindors in her wake. Many of them had opted not to leap into the fray. James, Peter and Remus exchanged a bewildered look as the Prewetts stepped through the open portrait hole

'Alright, Remus, ready for our next prank…?' Gideon began before taking in the sight before him. He blinked in confusion. 'What's going on?'

Fabian smirked. 'Someone call dog pile?' he asked.

'The answer to your question,' Remus said shortly with barely suppressed rage, 'is that I've had quite enough of pranks for now. Do it again, I'll give you detention.'

Madam Pomfrey had arrived shortly thereafter and incapacitated Sirius rather quickly with a harmless looking sleeping charm. Sirius had vehemently protested as she got nearer, shouting his affection for Lily louder and louder until he was finally silenced. James, Remus and Peter had decided to accompany him up to the hospital wing, while Lily had opted to remain behind.

'What do you think happened to him?' Peter asked worriedly as they sat around his bed while Madam Pomfrey tended to him with her wand.

She sighed. 'Seen a few cases of it before, but I'd guess it's Love Toxicity,' she said gravely.

'Love Toxicity?' James echoed.

'We read about that in Potions,' Remus said dully. 'It's what happens when one person takes too much of a Love Potion. Their body can't handle it and they start to act really erratically. It can result in…well, what we just saw.'

'And worse, my dear,' Madam Pomfrey said stiffly. 'Love Potions aren't to be taken lightly—overdosing on one can indeed happen. It's lucky that he started exhibiting symptoms so quickly and you were able to put a stop to it.'

James sighed. 'Yeah, lucky…that's us,' he muttered.

'I think that's about all that needed to be done,' Madam Pomfrey said at last. 'He should wake soon—the Potion is completely out of his system, but he'll have a fairly large headache. Make sure he drinks lots of water.'

'Yes ma'am,' the three boys said as she headed off for her office. Once the door was closed, James was on his feet.

'So—who did it?' he said.

Peter cleared his throat. 'I'll just go ahead and throw out the most likely suspect—Snape,' he said.

'Lily will enjoy that one,' Remus muttered.

'You disagree?' James asked somewhat aggressively.

Remus held up a hand. 'On the contrary, I agree he's the most likely suspect. However, unless we are able to prove it…'

'Who else is there?' Peter asked before James could express his displeasure at it.

Remus rubbed his chin. 'Regulus certainly has a bone to pick with Sirius. He knows about Sirius' fondness for desserts,' he said.

'Good point,' James said.

'What about Mary McDonald?' Remus asked.

Peter looked affronted. 'What about her?'

'Well,' Remus said slowly, 'she could have been trying to get to James, and she's been known to favour love potion before…'

Peter flushed. 'Not anymore. She has a different angle to get him,' he said.

'And that wouldn't explain why the Potion made Sirius go for Lily rather than Mary,' James said evenly. 'The Prewetts?'

'I don't think so,' Remus replied. 'They like a good prank, but I think that's overkill for them—they wouldn't do that to a friend,' he added.

James sighed. 'Well, it seems like Snape is the most likely suspect from where I sit,' he said with a sigh.

'I agree, Prongs,' came Sirius' voice from the bed, causing all of them to jump. They looked down at him and he did look decidedly awful—he had bags under his eyes, his skin was pale, and his lips were chapped. 'Water?' he gasped.

James instantly supplied him with a glass which Sirius downed in one go, nodding his thanks as he did so. 'So…did all of that actually happen?' he asked.

'Do you remember all of it?' Peter asked fretfully.

Sirius grimaced. 'I remember—ah—suddenly thinking that my world revolved around Lily,' he said with an apologetic look at James who grinned. 'And then trying to…well…snuff Prongs.'

'That about sums it up,' James said with a chuckle.

'I'm sorry,' Sirius said miserably.

James cuffed him on the shoulder. 'It was a love potion, Sirius. Not exactly your fault.'

'Yeah, it's Snivellus',' Sirius said angrily, colour flooding back to his cheeks at the thought. 'When I get a hold of him…'

Remus cleared his throat. 'Look, we really can't afford to run off half-cocked looking to assault Severus,' he said slowly.

'Who's assaulting? I'm not messing around with assaulting—I'm just going to tear his nipples off!' Sirius roared, causing James and Peter to burst out laughing.

Even Remus smiled. 'And you have my full sympathies,' he said quietly. 'But aren't we supposed to be trying to enforce a truce…?' he asked.

'Don't make this about me,' James said firmly. 'If it was Snape that crossed the line, something needs to be done about it.'

Sirius contemplated that. 'Then we make sure,' he said after a moment. 'We make sure it was him—Lily said you could defend yourself, right? Can't get more fair than that,' he said.

'I somehow doubt Severus will have just left a smoking wand lying around,' Remus said. 'How do you intend to catch him at it?'

Peter looked up. 'You make him confess,' he said.

Sirius rolled his eyes. 'Right. Easy as pie, that is, Peter. Go on—go down to the dormitories and try to rustle that out of him, will you?' he said sarcastically.

Peter blushed again. 'I just mean—I think—well, I'm pretty sure that he _wants _to confess.'

'Are you taking the mickey?' James asked with a laugh.

'Think about it,' Peter said, now looking excited. 'He's just pulled a successful and humiliating prank on you lot. He's got to be dying for people to know it was him that did it. So we just have to get him to fess up to it—not to us, necessarily, but to someone.'

Remus raised his eyebrows. 'That's actually not bad, Peter,' he said.

Sirius looked similarly impressed. 'You magnificent little rat…that could actually work!'

'Solid one, Peter,' James added and Peter was positively beaming. 'Now the real question is how do we do it?'

Sirius chuckled. 'We're the Marauders—that's the easy part. The real question is how do we keep fair Lily from finding out?'

Remus sighed. 'Does this make me an accessory before the fact?' he asked.

'Are you a Marauder or a Prefect?' Sirius pressed.

'You know the answer to that,' Remus said, slightly defensively.

'Well then, that's settled,' James said.

Just then, the door to the hospital wing opened and Lily entered. James cast a sidelong glance at Sirius who had turned a deep, dark crimson at the sight of her. 'Visiting hours are over,' Sirius said. 'I'm just trying to find a suitable crease in the mattress to crawl into for the next hundred years.'

Lily laughed her pleasant tinkling laugh. 'But I thought your love for me was undying, Sirius? Does your fickle heart change its mind so fast?' she asked innocently, causing James, Remus and Peter to laugh.

'Stuff it,' Sirius said in an embarrassed voice.

Lily smiled. 'I just came by to check on you,' she said kindly. 'Do they have any idea what—er—came over you?' she asked.

'Love potion,' Sirius said.

'What were you taking love potion for?' Lily asked incredulously.

Sirius' jaw dropped. 'I didn't take it on purpose, you git!'

They all laughed, and it was Peter who said 'Someone spiked the eclaires he was eating with the potion.'

Lily's smile dropped. 'Who would do something like that?' she asked.

James and Sirius exchanged a glance. 'A few likely suspects come to mind,' James said in a neutral tone of voice. Lily's gaze flickered involuntarily to James, and their eyes met. In that moment, James knew exactly what she was thinking.

Like them, the first name that had popped into her head was Snape's.


	12. Trials and Threats

A/N: Sorry to all for the delay, I don't know if I've ever had a busier few days—painting a house, buying a car and most importantly…discovering we have another baby on the way! Rest assured, the saga continues. Thank you for your patience!

12

Sirius was quickly discharged from the hospital wing, and while he was given a clean bill of health, his mood was rather sour. Each morning and evening at the dining table he was seething as the Slytherin table made no qualms about hiding their amusement at his story. Snape and his gang of Mulciber, Avery and Regulus Black were particularly amused at the situation.

'We need to think of a way to get them to confess,' Sirius said darkly the morning of the Quidditch trials. It was six in the morning, but James, Sirius, Remus and Peter were all sitting in the common room while James strapped on his boots and gloves. 'I'm getting sick and tired of the smug looks on their faces every time I see them.'

Remus pursed his lips. 'How about we try to ignore that for this morning,' he said gently. 'James is going to try to re-make his Quidditch team, we should offer him our support.'

Peter nodded vigorously. 'And we all had good progress on the Animagi front today,' he said.

Rather than sleep, they had spent the entire night in the Shrieking Shack practicing. James had once again sprouted his antlers and his entire body had been covered in short brown fur. His hands had also changed into what Remus called 'clovens', the equivalent of a hoof in the deer family. Sirius had been covered in thick black shaggy hair, grown a tail and had his nose elongate into a snout. Peter had once again grown his 'worm's tail', as Sirius had dubbed it, and also grown an elongated snout.

'Sorry, not meaning to be a buzz kill,' Sirius said sadly.

James finished strapping on a glove and put his hand on his friend's shoulder. 'Mate, we're going to get them back,' he said determinedly. 'They have no idea what they've done in provoking us,' he added with a smile.

'I just wish it was today,' Sirius muttered.

James chuckled. 'Maybe they'll come to the pitch. And maybe I'll 'accidentally' send a bludger at them,' he said.

'If you do that to Snape…' Remus warned.

'I was thinking Regulus. Or Mulciber—Evans hates Mulciber,' James said confidently.

The door to the girls' dormitory opened and James looked up. Alice Dearborn came down the stairs in full Quiddiitch gear, and she was trailed by a brightly smiling Mary McDonald. Peter bounded over to meet them.

'Trying out for Keeper again,' Mary said with a smile as Peter began excitedly commenting on her new Quidditch gear.

Alice smirked at James. 'I guess you're lamenting Lily not being a Quidditch player, James?' she asked, ignoring the doleful look that Mary shot at her back.

James chuckled. 'Have you seen Evans on a broom? We'd be overtaken by stationary objects,' he laughed.

'When have you seen her on a broom?' Alice asked in surprise.

'Oh, you know, over the summer,' James said easily as he avoided the looks of Sirius, Remus and Peter, not really wanting to get into their excursion for London in the presence of others.

Frank emerged from the boys' dormitory moments later, the Captain's badge adorning his robes. 'Sorry I'm late,' he said in a rush.

'Trials don't start for another thirty minutes, Frank,' James said with a smile.

'Yes, but it's always good to be early. I just wanted to be sure to remember some parchment to take notes,' Frank replied nervously.

Alice walked over and kissed him on the cheek, causing Frank to blush slightly. 'No need to be nervous, Captain,' she said softly.

'Uh—yes. Right. Well,' Frank stammered. 'Any sign of the Twins?' he said, smiling as he averted his gaze from Alice who was looking at him with a mischievous smirk.

James shook his head. 'I imagine they'll show up right as we're about to start,' he said. 'Shall we get down to the pitch?'

They made their way down together, talking excitedly as they did so. Mary and Peter were in front—Mary explaining her tactics as a Keeper to Peter who was showing an unprecedented interest in the details of the game. Frank and Alice were next, her arm wrapped around his waist and her head leaned on his shoulder. James, Sirius and Remus brought up the rear.

As they headed for the pitch, a series of catcalls met their ears.

'Hark who it is,' Sirius seethed darkly as they all looked over. A group of Slytherins was heading into the audience portion of the pitch. Regulus was pointing and laughing loudly.

'Where's your girlfriend, Sirius?' he shouted. 'Was your expression of love not returned?'

The Slytherins roared with laughter and Sirius' hand moved to his robes, but Remus stopped him. 'Not here,' he murmured quietly. 'After.'

Looking somewhat mollified, Sirius cast one last angry look over at the laughing Slytherins and he, Remus and Peter headed up for the audience portion of the pitch, calling out their good lucks to the Gryffindor players as they did so.

James and the others headed for the dressing room down in the bowels of the stadium. James reached his usual stall and sat down. He was profoundly unsurprised when Mary sat down at the one next to him. 'Is this one taken?' she asked innocently.

James smirked. 'No, it's not,' he said.

'This'll be fun,' she said excitedly. 'Hopefully I can make the team—I feel like we've barely gotten to know each other over the last five years,' she said.

James chuckled. 'Alright, then,' he said.

'Have no fear, the Prewetts are here,' came the voice of Gideon from the dressing room door as he barged through, Fabian in tow.

'Time for one last hurrah before we ride off into the sunset that is graduation,' Fabian declared as everyone grinned at the two of them.

Gideon grinned as he took his usual seat, lounging in it easily. 'Anyone catch sight of those Slytherins coming to watch?'

'I saw Snape. Or that is to say, I almost tripped over the grease trail from his hair,' Fabian quipped to a laugh from the room.

Frank sighed. 'They're probably here to try and mess with our heads—play some mental games with us before the season has even started,' he said.

Alice raised an eyebrow. 'Are you saying we should ignore them?'

Frank smiled at her. 'Far from it,' he replied. 'My first act as Captain is to tell all of you to remind them as much as possible—with as much condescending detail as is necessary—of the fact that we have beaten them twice in a row for the Quidditch Cup.'

There were grins and whoops and hollers from around the room. 'Wicked, Captain,' James said with a grin as Frank looked rather pleased with himself.

The room began to fill up with other players. James recognized some who had tried out the year before last—he was somewhat chagrined to see Tiberius McLaggen was back trying out, as all he could remember about him was his know-it-all nature, but he was happier to see Priscilla Bell back.

'Is that a Nimbus 1500?' Mary asked suddenly from his side.

'Hm? Oh, yes, it is,' James said, offering it for Mary to take. She goggled at it as she rolled it over in her hands. 'I didn't know you followed brooms,' he said.

Mary smirked. 'There's plenty about me you don't know,' she said. 'And you have to follow brooms to be a Quidditch Player.'

James chuckled. 'Well, that's true. Half the kids that show up to the trials don't know the first thing about flying,' he said.

After writing down everyone's names and assigning them numbers that were emblazoned onto their uniforms, Frank lead everyone out onto the Quidditch Pitch where—as was the tradition—he started off with asking everyone to fly a couple of laps. This was always meant to weed out the weaker or less serious flyers.

James kicked off into the air and immediately shot up to top velocity, generating an appreciative groan from the rest of the Gryffindors on the ground. A group of catcalls met his ears once again and he spotted the Slytherins all shouting taunts up at him.

'I'm amazed that broom can get off the ground with your fat head on it!' Mulciber shouted.

James stopped and made a hairpin turn in mid air to face them. 'I gather you'll be playing again, this year, Mulciber? You realize you have to enter your name to do that—can you even spell your own name?'

A bark of laughter met his ears from the Gryffindor section of the stadium as Sirius roared at the joke. Mulciber gave James an ugly look.

'We'll see who's laughing this year, Potter,' Avery shouted.

James gestured as if he couldn't hear. 'Sorry, Avery,' he retorted. 'I can't hear you—I've got two Quidditch Cups blocking my ears,' he said with a grin as he launched off once more, leaving the Slytherins to hurl more obscenities his way. He noticed that the Twins, Alice and Frank were all taking it in turns to stop in front of the Slytherins and taunt them, causing their rivals to become more and more agitated.

James swooped over to where Sirius, Remus and Peter sat and grinned at them. 'Enjoying the show?' he mused.

'Worth the price of admission, that is,' Sirius said dreamily. James looked over his shoulder to see the Twins performing a dramatic re-enactment of the last Quidditch Cup right in front of the Slytherins. It had been yet another of Alice Dearborn's legendary performances, where she had braced her foot on Regulus' broom to prevent him catching her, and she had fought off two bludgers to catch the Snitch to win it all.

Remus was smiling in spite of himself. 'Looks like you may have a brawl on your hands if this keeps up,' he mused.

'They started it,' James chuckled, high fiving Sirius as he flew back into the air.

'Alright, everyone, enough fun for now,' Frank said with a laugh as he got the serious players organized on the pitch. 'Alright, we're going to split into teams and do some practice.'

To even things out, James and Frank were—of course—on separate sides as Chasers. The Prewetts were also split up. Alice remained on Frank's side, meaning James had the bulk of the new players. McLaggen and Bell flanked him as Chasers, Mary was their Keeper, and joining Fabian on James' side as a Beater was Markus McKinnon, Marlene's younger brother who was in his second year.

Frank blew his whistle. 'Alright everyone, here we go—look sharp, now!'

The quaffle launched into the air and they were off. Frank caught the quaffle for his side and immediately passed it off to one of his new players, a shaky looking second year with straw blond hair. James lazily looped along the outside of the stadium as Straw made his way right up the middle of the pitch. It was a bad idea as James saw Fabian slowly smack a bludger his way. Frank hollered for him to get his head up, but he was soon knocked nearly off his broom by the bludger, causing the Quaffle to fall down. Mark McKinnon swooped down elegantly and snatched it up, launching in the other direction and rifling a pass to Bell as he did so.

'He can fly pretty well,' Frank observed from James' left. Even though they were on opposing teams, they were now hovering side by side.

James nodded and pointed to Straw. 'Might have some potential there, but I'm thinking next year,' he said.

'Agreed,' Frank replied. 'I want to see what the Keepers are capable of—tell your team to play shoddy defense for a few minutes, we'll start with McDonald,' he said.

James chuckled. 'Think I need to tell them in order to do it?' he asked sarcastically, and Frank laughed as they flew away from one another.

'What's the plan, James?' Fabian said as he looped around lazily on his broom.

'Let McDonald see the Quaffle, Frank wants to see what she's got.'

Fabian chuckled. 'I wasn't even trying to hit that little guy,' he said somewhat bashfully.

'I noticed,' James mused. 'So…try even less.'

Fabian laughed uproariously and launched up into the air. James turned to look at Mary who was following the play intently. 'Ready for some quaffles, Mac?' he shouted.

'Mac?' she echoed back.

'Figured you needed a nickname,' James replied.

She smiled brightly. 'Well then, ready when you are!' she said with renewed enthusiasm.

Frank had managed to bump Bell off the Quaffle at the other end and was now rocketing forward at top speed. This earned some appreciative looks at the new players, who had only watched the Quidditch stars from the stands before. Frank easily weaved around Fabian, who leisurely stretched out a toe to try and tap him. Frank then hurled the Quaffle with all his might at the far right hoop, going for one of his patented 'off the rim and in' shots.

Mary hurled herself forward, spinning in a full three sixty and striking the Quaffle away with her hand, sending it up to Mark who took off in the other direction.

'Nice save,' Fabian called appreciatively.

Frank nodded his agreement as he flew by James, smiling as he went. 'Alright, James—see what kind of flare McKinnon has as a Chaser,'

James chuckled, casting a glance over at the Slytherins gathered below. 'Hope you're taking notes,' he shouted, earning a chorus of profanity as he blasted off at top speed, hurling after Mark as he weaved between the Beaters on Frank's team. 'Mark! Scooch back on your broom!' James shouted as he got over top of him. 'And toss the quaffle in the air!'

Mark didn't need to be told twice—he obeyed instantly, hurling the quaffle directly upwards and sliding back on his broom. James swung down and released his broom, dropping through the air and catching the quaffle as he did. He righted himself and landed—standing up—on Mark's broom, which lowered slightly at the increased weight. The keeper on Frank's team was staring at him in amazement, allowing James to easily hurl the quaffle through the right most hoop for a score.

The Gryffindor supporters and the players on the pitch applauded and cheered, drowning out the boos from the Slytherin group. Mark brought his broom up to where James' was easily coasting along, allowing James to climb back on.

'Nice move,' Mark said genuinely.

James grinned. 'Thanks,' he replied. 'You too.'

'Would it hurt for you to spread some of that around?' Tiberius McLaggen asked irritably as they flew by him, causing Mark to look surprised.

James smirked. 'Show me something I can work with and maybe I will,' he replied, causing McLaggen to flush angrily.

He glanced back over at Sirius to give him a thumbs up, and felt his heart leap—Lily Evans was now sitting directly behind them. She was shaking her head in amusement. James ruffled his hair and winked at her, causing her to roll her eyes. James then cast a glance over at Snape, in amongst the Slytherins, who was looking at him with the utmost dislike.

'Heads up, James, here they come!' shouted Bell.

James turned to see Frank rocketing in. He eased back to let Frank soar through the newcomers—McLaggen overcommitted to a bull rush that Frank easily rolled around. Bell was able to catch his boot but he shook her off. Mark lined him up for a whack with a bludger but Frank beautifully rolled underneath it and soared in alone on Mary, faking a shot to the right and then launching it left. Mary acrobatically stretched herself off her broom, pincering the stick between her feet as she caught the quaffle in both hands and hung upside down from it. The crowd 'oooh'd' in response.

'Great save,' James said as she hurled the quaffle forward, grinning back at him as she did.

The practice eventually wound up with Alice going head to head in a battle for the Snitch with a sixth-year. In spite of the sixth-year's size and reach advantage, Alice's supreme speed and dexterity won her out as she easily outpaced her for it.

'Thanks everyone,' Frank said as they all landed on the pitch. 'Well done! Really, thank you for—' he was cut off by a shout.

'Hey McDonald!' came the leering voice of Mulciber from the stands. 'Keep your head up on the pitch—and in the hallways!' he shouted.

James scowled and looked on the ground for a rock. He pointed his wand at it and slashed his wand in the air, sending the rock soaring forward at lightning speed, striking Mulciber in the midsection and causing him to double over.

'OI!' Regulus Black shouted, and Slytherins began peeling over the bleachers towards them.

'Sorry,' James said quickly as the Slytherins approached, drawing their wands and shouting curses.

Frank chuckled. 'On the contrary, I was beginning to feel rusty—so bring it on,' he replied stirringly as he and the other Gryffindors pulled their wands and readied themselves for the oncoming tide of Slytherins.


	13. Brawls and Prejudices

13

James spun his wand in the air and pointed it forward—a rushing gust of wind emitted from the end of his wand, launching across the pitch at Mulciber who was leading the charge. He dove aside, his massive frame exposing several younger Slytherin students who were bowled over by the spell. Rosier lunged forward and cast a hex at Frank, who batted it aside with ease as the two sides clashed.

Everyone paired off—Frank was duelling with Rosier, Alice with a female Slytherin named Bulstrode, Avery was duelling with Mary, and the Twins were single handedly taking on sixth Slytherins who were finding themselves quickly overmatched.

Mulciber charged back in towards James. 'You'll pay for that one, Potter!' he snarled.

'Some time soon, I hope? I don't like to be kept waiting,' James taunted as he deflected a spell that the massive Slytherin sent his way. 'Not so fun when your target knows what's coming, is it, you big oaf?'

Mulciber glowered at him. 'Got no Mudblood to save your backside today, Potter,' he snapped.

James' blood boiled. 'And just who the hell are you calling a mudblood, you meat –headed dung sack?'

'That prissy little red head you and Snape are both lusting after,' Mulciber said with relish. 'Mind you, I wouldn't mind taking her for a—'

He never finished the words. James' first spell rammed into his hastily summoned shield charm with such force that he was knocked off balance. James then blasted an alternation of impediment jinxes, stunning spells and disarming charms. The disarming charm caught him in the midsection, sending his wand through the air towards James. The stunning spell caught him in the face at the same moment that the Impediment jinx slammed him in the groin. James then caught the wand and—as Mulciber was toppling backwards—he blasted a double stunning spell forward, propelling Mulciber through the air and onto the dirt.

'Nice one, James!' shouted Frank as he nimbly dodged a spell from Rosier who had been trying and failing to hit Frank.

'Fight back, you coward!' Rosier shouted.

Frank laughed. 'I just want you to feel that you're doing well, Rosier. Are you so eager for the fight to end?'

Rosier swore vehemently and slashed his wand again, but Frank simply continued to laugh as he dodged it once more.

James opened his mouth to comment when something struck him in the face. He staggered backwards, yelling out in surprise as he felt blood gush from his nose. He swung his wand upwards instinctively, casting a shield charm that barely deflected Regulus Black's stunning spell in time. 'The hell, Regulus?' James barked.

'All's fair in war,' Regulus taunted.

'So it's war you want, is it?' James asked, his eyes narrowing—but then he noticed something over Regulus' shoulder and grinned. 'Well…you've got it.'

Regulus looked confused and turned just in time to receive a punch in the jaw from his older brother. Sirius—as he was prone to do—had thrown caution to the wind at the sight of James being ambushed and leapt into the fray sans wand. He rained down punches on his younger brother who cowered into a fetal position.

'Here, this might be helpful,' James said, tossing Sirius Mulciber's wand. Sirius grinned and blasted Regulus with a mix of hexes. By the time he was done, his brother resembled nothing so much as a barnacled lump of wood.

'Excuse me, you lot,' Mary said happily as she marched by, levitating Mulciber's unconscious form next to her as she went.

Sirius barked with laughter. 'And what do you intend to do with that?'

'I'm going to hang him by his foot from the keeper's hoop,' Mary replied with glee and they all laughed. James caught sight of the Twins once again—they were chasing the large group of Slytherins off the field, whooping and hollering as they did so.

Remus appeared at their side. 'Sorry I'm late,' he said.

'Late? Where did you get off to?' Sirius asked in surprise.

Remus looked bashful. 'Someone had to alert the property authorities,' he said apologetically, and just then, there was a tremendous bang. Anyone still duelling froze immediately, and they all turned to see several teachers striding onto the pitch. In the lead was Professor McGonagall, looking her most severe. Madam Hooch was hot on her heels, looking livid as well.

'Oh this can't be good,' Sirius groaned.

James gingerly touched the tissues sticking out of his nostrils, causing a fresh wave of pain to course through his face. He knew that he would definitely be needing Madam Pomfrey's services to un-break his nose before the day was out.

He glanced back at the door and—satisfied no one was coming—gingerly removed a mirror from the pockets of his Quidditch uniform. 'Sirius,' he said into it clearly.

After a moment, the face of Sirius Black appeared. His grin revealed a missing tooth, and he had a rather nasty gash over his left eye, but he still looked remarkably pleased with himself. 'Alright, Prongs?' he asked casually.

James chuckled. 'Nothing that can't be fixed,' he said as he gestured at his nose. 'You?'

'Same,' Sirius said. 'Any idea where they took the others?'

'I think Moony escaped punishment—being a Prefect and all. I think McGonagall's getting the story from him first before moving on to us. Did you get any update on Peter?'

Sirius grimaced. When the fight had started, Sirius, Remus and Peter had been the furthest away. Sirius and Peter had charged as one, but a combination of spells had struck Peter and immediately incapacitated him. 'I think McGonagall took him straight to the Hospital wing. He's touched in the head at the moment—kept babbling that the rainbow lollipops wanted to marry the unicorn whilst wearing unitards.'

James laughed in spite of himself. 'Well, Madam Pomfrey's never failed yet,' he mused.

'Hopefully they have to take Ickle Reggie to St. Mungo's,' Sirius said darkly. 'And where the hell did Snivellus get to?'

James nodded. 'Or Evans, for that matter,' he said quietly. Lost in the battle was the fact that Snape and Lily—who had both been at the pitch when it started—had disappeared.

Sirius looked momentarily uncomfortable. 'I'm sure she was just trying to keep him out of the fight, mate,' he said in an encouraging tone.

'Maybe,' James replied.

'You don't think there's—well—something there, do you?' Sirius asked slowly.

James rolled that thought over in his mind and felt a sudden wave of nausea at the idea. 'I hope not,' he said.

'Well—I think it'd be silly,' Sirius said as if that settled the matter. 'Lily could do far better than a jumped up little grease ball like that. And that's not even touching his whole Death Eater thing,' he said.

Feeling somewhat encouraged, James nodded. 'I suppose you're right,' he said. Footsteps met his ears. 'Got to go—my reckoning is approaching,' he said hastily and he stowed the mirror in his pocket as the door to the office swept open. Professor McGonagall entered and moved to her seat without looking at James. She sat down and stared up at the ceiling for a moment before looking at him.

'Potter,' she said slowly. 'I understand that you started this.'

James cleared his throat. 'From a certain point of view, yes.'

'A certain point of view?' McGonagall asked, her eyebrows knitting together.

'Yes. From the point of view of someone objectively watching, you could say I started the fight,' James replied diplomatically.

McGonagall seemed surprised, but wary. 'Am I to presume you hold a different point of view?' she asked.

'Oh yes,' James replied. 'I hold the point of view that Mulciber is a dirty git, and thusly, he started the fight.'

McGonagall's mouth twitched for a moment, and James swore she was fighting off the urge to smile, but she was looking severe again a fraction of a second later. 'Quick witted though you are, Potter, you would do well to remember the rules of the school. No magic is permitted to be used against other students.'

'But come on, Professor,' James said. 'He threatened Mary!'

'I'm…aware, but threats can be idle,' McGonagall said.

'Bull pats,' James said heatedly. 'He attacked her in third year—he used the Imperius curse on her! You're in the Order, Professor, you know exactly what road he's headed down,' James said.

McGonagall inhaled quickly. 'Do not think for a moment that I am taking his treatment of Ms. McDonald lightly. Her safety is of paramount importance to me—to you—to all of us. Mulciber is very much on our radar, but that is for myself and the rest of the faculty to deal with. This…vigilante justice that you seem to be advocating will not be tolerated. Am I making myself clear?'

'So long as you intend to do something about it,' James said.

'Watch your tone,' McGonagall said warningly and then she sighed. 'Potter, you are a conscientious student and I admire your willingness to fight for your friends. But please bear in mind that there are proper times and places for this.'

James hesitated and then nodded. 'Alright,' he said after a moment. 'Sorry.'

'Thank you. You'll have detention for a week,' she added. When James' jaw dropped, she held up a hand. 'Not a word, Potter. Be grateful I am not deducting points. Everyone is getting the same treatment in this respect.'

James bit his tongue with great effort and left the office. As he did so, he very nearly collided with Lily Evans. 'Oh! Sorry,' she stammered as she backed up.

'Not at all,' James replied, grinning.

Lily raised her eyebrows. 'Off to see Madam Pomfrey?' she asked.

'Eh? Oh, yes,' James said, having momentarily forgotten that he must have looked like an elephant with two white tissues sticking out of his nose.

'Who's handiwork was that?' Lily asked as she fell into step beside him and they began to walk.

'Sirius' brother,' James said. 'Where did you get off to?'

Lily sighed. 'I was saving Sev from himself,' she said.

James chuckled. 'And what about me? Couldn't I have used saving from the Slytherins?' he asked.

Lily cocked an eyebrow at him. 'Are you telling me you were feeling intimidated by a few Slytherin students?' she asked.

'Certainly not,' James replied.

'You seemed to be acquitting yourself just fine,' Lily said kindly.

James glanced over at her. 'So how did…Sev…take to being escorted away from the battle?' he asked.

'Not well,' Lily admitted. 'What started it, anyway? I heard Mulciber shout something…'

'He threatened Mary,' James said, who went on to relay exactly what Mulciber had said about Mary to her. He also told her when Mulciber had said about her.

Lily's face darkened. 'So I'm the prissy mudblood to him, am I?' she hissed.

'I nailed him for you,' James said with a smile. 'Hexed him into the middle of next week. With my wand and his.'

'Thank you,' Lily said, but she still seemed rattled.

'You alright?' James asked.

Lily shrugged. 'I don't know—that whole thing…_mudblood_…there's so many things about the wizarding world that I find so much better than the Muggle world. But one thing they both have in common is stupid prejudices.'

'Idiots like Mulciber are mad at anything they don't understand,' James said. 'Which, come to think of it, constitutes just about everything.'

Lily laughed. 'I know. In a way I feel sorry for people so narrow minded, but I just wish…' she trailed off, glancing out the window as they entered the entrance hall and began crossing to the staircase that would lead them towards the hospital wing. 'I just wish people weren't so stupid.'

James smiled faintly. 'I hear you,' he replied. 'And sorry for my contribution.'

Lily looked surprised. 'What do you mean?'

'Well—you know—you always think I'm acting a prat,' James said in a somewhat embarrassed tone.

Lily laughed. 'You're different, Potter,' she said. 'You're arrogant, sure. Overconfident, definitely. Zealous, absolutely.'

'I'm thinking of taking my apology back…' James said sarcastically.

Lily chuckled. 'But your heart is in the right place where it counts,' she said. 'You're nothing like idiots like Mulciber.'

James smiled crookedly at her. 'That might be the truest thing you've ever said, Evans,' he said. 'My heart most certainly is in the right place where it counts—because it's yours,' he said with a grin.

Lily stuck out her tongue. 'That's the corniest thing I've ever heard,' she said, but her cheeks were slightly pink.

'You're an awful liar. You love it,' James said with a laugh.

'Keep telling yourself that. Meanwhile, I'll go back to calling you arrogant and overconfident,' Lily said with a sniff.

James chuckled. 'Coming to the Hospital Wing?' he asked as they passed the portrait hole to the common room.

'I'll be along soon,' Lily said. 'I just want to check on the others before I come up.'

James nodded. 'I'll see you there,' he replied and she disappeared. Feeling like this might be one of the altogether better days of his life, James headed off towards the hospital wing with a new bounce in his step, no longer caring about the tusk-like tissues sticking out of his nose.


	14. Distractions and Offers

14

Peter was back on his feet in a couple of days. Madam Pomfrey theorized that he had been hit with a combination of Confundus Charms that had taken a little bit of time for her to undo. That was the good news. The bad news was that via a combination of excessive OWL homework and their new detentions, James, Sirius and Peter didn't have much time to devote to becoming Animagi. So it was that Remus' time of the month arrived and they still weren't prepared to join him.

'It's fine,' Remus said reassuringly as he packed his back to leave. He was still ostensibly keeping up the façade of going to visit his sick mother for the rest of the school. 'I've been transforming on my own since I was a boy.'

Sirius kicked at a pair of his shoes—they were all seated in their dormitory as curfew had come and gone. 'This still sucks,' he muttered. 'We should be out there with you. These detentions are a big, steaming pile of horse—' he began.

'They're fair in the grand scheme of things,' Remus cut in calmly. 'We're probably fortunate they weren't longer than they were.'

'Prefect Moony is lecturing again,' James chuckled and Remus smiled at him patiently. 'I'm sorry, Moony. I wish we could be there with you.'

Remus smiled more warmly. 'I know you do,' he said softly. 'You three…you know you're the best friends anyone could ask for, right?' He clasped his hand on Peter's shoulder as he was closest to him and glanced at the others. 'Seriously, I'll be fine. You're there with me in spirit anyways. I'll see you in a couple of days.'

They watched sadly as Remus shuffled out the door and Sirius full on kicked a boot across the room. 'Damn McGonagall!' he hissed. 'We didn't start anything, why are we serving stupid detentions all the time!'

Peter looked uncomfortable. 'We'll just have to try for his next cycle,' he said quietly.

'We've been saying that for years!' Sirius said angrily.

'Let's just calm down,' James said firmly. 'Running around with our hands in the air screaming woe is me isn't going to help Moony.'

Sirius looked as though he wanted to protest the point, but he relented and sat down. 'It just feels like we've let him down. I can't wrap my head around this stupid Animagi thing,' he said with a sigh.

'We'll get there, mate,' James said firmly. 'We've made progress—most full fledged wizards have a Dickens of a time with this sort of thing.'

Sirius sighed again. 'I suppose,' he said.

'So what should we do?' Peter asked. 'Study?'

Sirius snorted. 'I don't need to study,' he muttered. 'The only thing I want to study, I can't, because Moony's using the Shrieking Shack.'

'How about we go grab a bite to eat then?' James suggested. 'We could go to the kitchens?'

Sirius seemed to brighten. 'Good idea,' he said.

'Let me just grab the map,' James grunted as he sprawled across his bed and reached into his rucksack to grab the Marauders' Map. 'I solemnly swear that I am up to no good,' he said softly as he tapped the map with his wand.

Sirius was getting changing into his pajamas. 'I've been craving an éclair,' he said.

'That's surprising, given what happened last time you…' Peter trailed off at a venomous stare from Sirius. 'I mean—sounds divine,' he added hastily.

Sirius shrugged. 'Well then,' he said. 'Prongs, are we in the clear?'

'Er,' James said, staring at the map.

'That's a no, then, is it?' Sirius asked as he strolled over.

James pointed. 'This can't be good,' he said.

They all peered at the map—Madam Pomfrey was escorting Remus across the grounds towards the Whomping Willow, their inkblots moving rapidly. Heading for the front door of the school all by itself was another inkblot—labeled Severus Snape.

'That weasly little…' Sirius breathed.

'We'd better move,' James said quickly.

Peter looked alarmed. 'Move? Why?' he asked.

'If he tracks down where Moony's going, it'll only mean trouble—he'll blab the secret to anyone who will listen, and that will cause a panic,' James said as he swept his robe over himself.

'Why a panic?' Peter asked.

'Don't be thick, Peter—you know how werewolves are perceived in our world,' Sirius said grimly. 'Snape would love to ruin Remus' life.'

James grit his teeth. 'Not if we have anything to say about it.'

'How do we divert him?' Sirius asked eagerly.

James thought quickly. 'We're not going to fight him,' he said, ignoring the crestfallen look on Sirius' face. 'We just need to distract him. Come on!'

'What about the Invisibility Cloak?' Peter whined.

'Forget about that, we don't have time,' James answered and they tore out of the dormitory and down through the common room. It was mostly deserted save for Lily, who was reading by the fire, and the Prewetts, who were playing a lively game of Wizarding Chess.

Lily looked up in surprise. 'Where do you think you lot are going? It's past curfew,' she said.

'Out—for a snack,' James said.

Lily looked indignant. 'You could at least not flaunt your rule breaking _directly _under my nose, Potter—I am a Prefect, you know.'

'Yes, and I'm terribly sorry, but our stomachs can't wait,' James replied as they peeled out of the portrait hole, the door closing behind them on raucous laughter from the Twins and some choice swear words from Lily.

'Move!' Sirius implored and they sprinted as one. Sirius was in the lead, his long legs carrying him faster than the others. James brought up the middle and Peter, wheezing away, was in the rear. They quickly arrived at the entrance hall and slowed down their pace—the front door of the school was just opening, and Snape's greasy main of black hair was disappearing through it.

'Desperate times,' Sirius whispered and he pulled out his wand. 'Levicorpus!'

There came a muffled yell from outside and they quickly descended the staircase. They could hear swearing coming from the other side of the door as Snape tried to work his way out of his predicament.

'Can we just leave him there?' Sirius asked hopefully.

James shook his head. 'If he gets down, he could track them to the willow. Let him down.'

Sirius sighed and flicked his wand. With a thud on the other side of the door, Snape landed on the ground. James gave a bodily heave and the front door opened. Snape whirled on them, his wand pointing at James first, an ugly smile on his face.

'Why hello, Potter—violating the terms of both curfew and your arrangement with Lily?' he asked with a leering smile.

James returned the smile coldly. 'Seeing as you've done both yourself already, it would serve you right—but in this case, you're one for two. Sirius was the one who hexed you,' he said.

Sirius waggled his fingers at Snape as he grinned maliciously at him.

'What are you doing out here?' Snape asked more aggressively.

James chuckled. 'Right, because that's any business of yours,' he said.

'Oh really,' Snape whispered softly. 'So you're not out here to try and draw attention away from something else?' he asked.

Sirius barked with laughter, the loud noise causing Snape to wince and glance around to make sure no one had heard. 'What do we have to draw attention away from, you prat? You think we want to be caught our after curfew?'

Snape's lip curled. 'You seem to have precious little regard for rules as it is,' he said. '_Untouchable Potter _here knows all about that.'

Sirius shook his head in amusement. 'Envy doesn't become you, Snivellus,' he said.

Snape's eyes narrowed. 'Have you composed any sonnets for Lily lately, Black?' he asked in a soft and deadly voice. 'I hear your last go round with her was positively touching.' Sirius raised his wand, but James batted it back down. Now it was Snape's turn to laugh. 'You're so easily manipulated—running around with your hearts on your sleeves, it's no wonder you've nearly been killed several times over.'

'Haven't succeeded yet, though, have they?' Sirius demanded.

Snape smirked. 'Not yet. But perhaps your fortunes will take a turn for the worse—and mine for the better.'

Now Sirius looked angry. 'You'd best get back to your dormitory, Snivellus,' he said. 'Before I do some damage that you won't walk away from.'

'Oh, but I'd love to have a go, Black,' Snape said, drawing his own wand slowly from his robes. 'There's no teachers around—and there's no arrangement barring you and I from settling our differences with our wands…so why not?'

Sirius scoffed. 'You're seriously challenging me to a duel?'

'Unless you're afraid of taking me on without the assistance of your friends…' Snape said in a delicate voice.

Sirius raised his wand when a new voice cut across the hall. 'What is going on here?'

They all turned at once to see the massive, imposing figure of Professor Zharkov standing still near a door leading off to the dungeons. 'Snape, back to your dormitory. Now. I shall discuss this with Professor Slughorn in the morning.'

Snape looked like he would like to protest, but he obeyed, slinking off down the corridor behind Zharkov, who fixed the other three with a piercing gaze. 'I have been warned about you three, of course,' he said after a moment.

'Er—warned?' James asked.

'Oh yes,' Zharkov replied as he strode over to them, towering over the three of them as he smiled grimly. 'Rarely are you caught somewhere you oughtn't to be without having a reason to be there.'

Peter squirmed. 'We—we were just—going to the kitchens—hungry—' he stammered.

'Indeed,' Zharkov said quietly. He surveyed them for a moment. 'I shall, of course, have to mention this to Professor McGonagall in the morning as well. Back to your dormitories, but, Mr. Potter, if I could have a word.'

Sirius and Peter cast sympathetic looks at James as they retreated up the staircase, leaving him alone with their Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Professor Zharkov surveyed him for a moment. 'I have been meaning to have a private conversation with you, but between your Quidditch and your detentions, there has been little opportunity.'

James was surprised at this. 'What did you want to see me about?'

'Is that not obvious?' Zharkov asked, in what appeared to be genuine surprise.

'Well—no, I guess not,' James said, equally bewildered.

'You are one of the few opponents of the Dark Lord who has laid eyes on him and lived to tell the tale,' Zharkov said. 'It is also no secret that Gilles Rochefort has made it something of a mission to destroy you.'

James did his best to smile. 'It sounds pretty frightening when you say it like that,' he said.

'Are you frightened?' Zharkov asked.

James swallowed. 'Yes,' he replied.

'Good—I would be worried for your sanity were you not,' Zharkov replied. 'I have…encountered Rochefort in the past, so I may be of some assistance to you,' he said slowly.

'Encountered? You mean dueled?' James asked.

Zharkov shook his head. 'Not exactly…but I am aware of how he operates, and of some of his most glaring weaknesses,' he said. 'It's information that could prove useful to you.'

'You think he's going to try and kill me again,' James stated.

Zharkov regarded him carefully and nodded. 'It is not a question of if, Potter. It is a question of when. And it is not only he that you have to fear, but Lord Voldemort as well.'

'Aren't I lucky,' James deadpanned.

Zharkov smiled. 'You have actually had exemplary luck—and not a small amount of talent—to this point. But a greater hand will be needed in your preparedness for what is to come. I am offering you private lessons.'

'Just me?' James asked—he couldn't help but wonder when private lessons would stop. He had received them from both Professor Bowen and Madam Bones, and had also had to endure Professor Mondego's Occlumency lessons as well.

'Yourself, Ms. Evans, Mr. Longbottom, and Ms. Dearborn,' Zharkov replied, cutting into James' thoughts. 'You see, all four of you have managed to defy the Dark Lord—something he intends to remedy at his earliest opportunity.'

James swallowed again. 'Do you think we have a chance?' he asked.

'Not alone,' Zharkov replied. 'But therein lies your strength—the four of you can rely on one another, whereas Voldemort relies only upon himself. It is simultaneously his greatest strength and his greatest weakness.'

'You really understand him,' James said quietly.

Zharkov nodded after a moment. 'I have seen many like him,' he said quietly.

'You're talking about Grindelwald,' James said, his heart pounding in his ears. 'Did you ever duel him?'

Zharkov glanced at James. 'I think that is enough for now,' he said. 'Back to your dormitory—I will discuss the timing of your private lessons with you as soon as I can,' he said.

James did not need to be told twice—he jogged up the stairs, but he was now certain of one thing. Zharkov had been brought here to keep him, Lily, Alice and Frank alive, which meant Dumbledore suspected Voldemort would attempt to kill them.

Soon.


	15. Bets and Charms

15

_James was flying through the air, juking and dipping his Nimbus 1500 at will. Lily's arms were snugly wrapped around his waist as she clung onto him as they hurtled overtop of London—Sirius and Peter were visible ahead on his flying motorbike as he whipped and wheeled through the air, Peter's screams of terror drifting back to their ears. Remus soared high overhead on James' old Comet Two Sixty. James looked back over his shoulder and saw the bright green eyes looking back at him, alive with an energy and happiness that he had scarcely seen at Hogwarts—and in that moment, James felt happier than he had in a very long time._

'OI, PRONGS!'

Something smacked James in the face, waking him from his wonderful dream. He rubbed his nose angrily as he looked up to see Sirius standing there, fully dressed and immaculately coifed for the day. 'The hell, Sirius?' James muttered.

'Enough sleeping—you're going to want to go to the Common Room,' Sirius said with a smirk.

James realized what it was that had struck him in the face—a roll of parchment. He quickly unraveled it to see Professor McGonagall's handwriting. 'Another week's detentions?' he groaned—he had nearly forgotten about running into Snape and Zharkov the previous evening.

'Well, never mind that,' Sirius said with supreme indifference. 'But there's a couple of announcements in the Common Room! Come on!'

James sighed as Sirius bounded out of the room. He hastily put his robes on and jammed his glasses onto his face. With a big yawn, he strolled through the door of the dormitory and into the common room.

'Morning, sunshine,' Frank Longbottom's voice drifted up from the foot of the stairs. 'Nice of you to join us.'

'What's going on?' James said as he ruffled his hair absent-mindedly.

'Quidditch team's been announced!' Mary McDonald said excitedly as she bounded forward. 'Looks like we're going to be spending more time together, James,' she said with a smile.

James raised his eyebrows as she pointed to the bulletin over by the fireplace. James strolled over, entirely aware that Mary was following right behind him, and glanced at the list.

'_GRYFFINDOR QUIDDITCH TEAM_

_Keeper – Mary McDonald_

_Beater – Fabian Prewett_

_Beater – Gideon Prewett_

_Seeker – Alice Dearborn_

_Chaser – Frank Longbottom (C)_

_Chaser – James Potter_

_Chaser – Mark McKinnon'_

'Congratulations,' James said as he turned to face Mary, who was positively beaming. He spotted Mark across the room chatting excitedly with his sister Marlene—it didn't escape his notice that Sirius was also sneaking a glance at Marlene as well. 'Any idea when our first match is, Captain?' he asked.

Frank nodded. 'Next week—Ravenclaw,' he said.

'When do we play the Slytherins?' James asked swiftly.

Frank chuckled. 'Alice asked the same thing—not until after Christmas, sadly,' he replied.

'Speaking of Alice, where is she?' James asked, looking around—being somewhat early, the common room was not truly packed yet.

'Off getting some snacks to celebrate,' Mary replied. 'I'm hoping I'll be able to fill Dorcas' old keeping gloves.'

James smiled kindly. 'I'm sure you'll be great,' he replied, making a mental note to write a letter to Dorcas. It was then that he spotted the second bulletin—the first Hogsmeade visit had been posted. 'Oh, wicked,' he said. 'I was wondering if we'd even be allowed to go this year.'

Frank nodded. 'Heard there was some real thought about cancelling them altogether,' he said grimly. 'We're going to have to be on our toes while we're there. The Ministry doesn't have much projection to spare.'

At that moment, Alice came back through the Common Room door with an assortment of breakfast pastries. She and Marlene began to talk loudly and excitedly—Marlene could be overheard stating that she hoped Davey Gudgeon would be taking her to Madam Puddifoot's. James crossed the room to sit next to Sirius and Peter, who were both by the fire.

'Alright, Sirius?' James asked.

'Gudgeon,' Sirius said with a snort. 'What does she see in him…'

Peter looked nervous. 'Have you considered asking someone else to go to Hogsmeade?'

'You mean to make her jealous?' Sirius asked.

'Er—no, I'd rather not go down that road again,' James said hastily, the memory of the near-blow up between Lily, Alice, Marlene, Mary, Sirius and James the previous year when Sirius and Mary's plot to make James and Marlene jealous had been made public all too fresh in his mind. 'I mean, isn't there anyone else that you like?'

Sirius shrugged. 'I don't know,' he muttered. 'I don't see you asking anyone else.'

'What do you mean?' James said.

'You always ask Lily and only Lily,' Peter supplied.

'Well, what's wrong with that? She might say yes this year,' James said.

Sirius yawned. 'Yeah—and I might have an arm grow out of my arse,' he said.

'Careful, Sirius—that tail you grow sometimes looks like one. Wotcher, now!' James chuckled as Sirius swung a backhand at him that James dodged nimbly. 'Quidditch reflexes, mate,' he said with a wink.

Sirius rolled his eyes. 'It still begs the question—what are you going to do when Lily turns you down?'

James stuck his tongue out. 'It's a deal you want, is it? Fine,' he said. 'If Evans shoots me down again, I'll ask someone else—but you have to as well,' James declared.

'Ooooh,' Peter said, looking back and forth between them. 'The stakes have been raised.'

Sirius pursed his lips. 'Fine,' he said. 'You're on—just to see you squirm with having to ask someone that isn't Evans out,' he said.

James snorted. 'You think I can't?'

'I think you've been playing it safe,' Sirius said coyly. 'You know Evans is going to say no, so it doesn't break your heart when she does—but asking someone else…therein lies a challenge for the great Prongs,' he said.

James rolled his eyes. 'Right,' he said. 'And you're going to have such an easy time asking someone that isn't Marlene.'

Sirius cocked an eyebrow. 'We'll see who has an easier time,' he said mischievously. 'Speaking of which, there's the thorniest of roses now—better hop to it,' he said.

James looked over to see Lily coming down the steps. He stood up and instantly felt off—it was as though Sirius' words had shaken him. It was true, to an extent, that he never expected Lily to say yes. For her reasons she virtually never could—but he also found himself not entirely wanting to follow through on the deal he had just made with Sirius. _A bet's a bet,_ he told himself. He caught Lily's eye and she waved at him as he approached.

'You must be on cloud nine,' she said. For a moment, James' mind wandered back to his dream of their flight back from London.

'Hm? Yes—oh yeah—Quidditch—great,' James said with a nervous laugh.

Lily's eyes narrowed. 'Are you feeling well?' she asked.

'Never better—why do you ask?' James said in that alarming falsetto voice that didn't belong to him. 'Er—listen—good morning. Well. Yes—I—yes. Evans. I was wondering if you—if you eat.'

Time seemed to freeze. While James was wondering if he could have said anything more preposterously stupid, Lily seemed to be taking on a look of grave concern akin to looking at someone with a severe injury. _At least I got her bloody name right, _he thought. 'You sure you're feeling well, Potter?'

He felt his cheeks get hot. 'I mean—of course you eat—but I was wondering if you wanted to eat…with me,' James said in a rush.

'You want to eat with me,' Lily said slowly.

'In Hogsmeade,' James clarified.

Lily's face adopted an entirely too sympathetic expression. 'Potter…' she began.

'Just as friends?' he added hopefully.

Lily glanced around—there were one or two Gryffindors looking over in their direction curiously. 'Can we talk about this later, Potter?' she said in a quiet voice.

'Absolutely. Sure. Yes,' James said.

'Thanks,' Lily said, and she bee-lined over to Alice, grabbing her by the arm and escorting her back up to the girls' dormitory. James stood rooted to the spot for a moment before a voice whispered in his ear.

'So what the in the name of Merlin was that?'

James jumped and turned to see Sirius barking with laughter. 'Seriously—you wonder if she eats? What's gotten into you?'

'I don't know,' James said miserably, slapping a hand to his face. 'It's like—I couldn't help it. I just made a complete fool of myself,' he said.

'Well, she didn't say no,' Sirius said as he guided James back over to the fireplace. 'Maybe this is a new angle to play—if you come across as a bumbling idiot, she'll take pit on you.'

'Be nice,' Peter admonished. 'If she didn't say no, that's a good sign,' he said encouragingly. 'It's always just been an immediate turn down before—so maybe you've grown on her!'

'You think?' James asked.

Sirius chuckled. 'We need Moony,' he said. 'He's always able to explain girls in a way that doesn't require a secret decoder ring,' he said wistfully.

'He should be in the Hospital Wing by now,' Peter said. 'Maybe we should go and check on him?'

'No,' James said firmly. 'It'd be a dead giveaway that we know where he goes once a month—we need to wait for him to come here,' he said. 'Even with the cloak, it's too risky,' he said, anticipating Peter's next question.

Peter looked over to Sirius. 'Well, the quaffle's in your end now, Sirius! Who are you going to ask?'

'What?' Sirius yelped. 'I don't have to ask anyone yet—James has only asked Lily!'

James pointed at him. 'You never specified what would happen if she said yes—or nothing, for that matter!'

Sirius sighed. 'If I ask someone—and Lily comes back and says no—you are honor bound to ask someone else. Marauder's honor.'

'I'd never leave a Marauder out to dry,' James declared. 'Marauders always have each other's backs.'

Sirius nodded. 'Alright then, I'll work on it.'

James glanced around the room. 'Who do you have in mind?' he asked.

'No one here,' Sirius said dismissively. 'Let's head down for breakfast.'

The three of them slinked out of the room and walked towards the entrance hall. They had barely walked in when a voice met their ears. 'Oi, Sirius! Hogsmeade next weekend! You going to ask out Lovely Lily?'

James looked up to see Regulus Black roaring with laughter. Mulciber and Avery were standing there chortling as well, although there was no sign of Snape. _Wonder where he is_, James thought to himself.

'And who are you going to ask, Reggie?' Sirius replied loudly. 'Is your right hand available to accompany you?'

Even across the room, it was plain that Regulus had flushed a very deep shade of crimson. Now it was James and Peter who laughed loudly. 'None of your business,' he said angrily.

'Is that the name of your left hand, then?' Sirius retorted. Mulciber and Avery were now reaching for their wands—James and Peter did the same.

'Leave it alone, Regulus,' Mulciber said with a sneer. 'If they're so interested in mudbloods, leave them to it.'

James raised his wand when a voice called out, 'What's going on here?'

Everyone froze as a Ravenclaw prefect appeared. Mulciber and Avery had their wands in their hands, and both James and Peter had their wands pointed at them. 'Off to the dining hall before I give you detention,' said the Prefect to the Slytherins and they slinked off, scowling as they did. She turned her gaze on James, Sirius and Peter. 'And you lot had better put those things away,' she said.

James and Peter obeyed and started to move, but Sirius stood his ground. 'Did you hear what I said?' the Ravenclaw prefect asked in a smooth voice. 'Off to the dining hall or I'll give you detention.'

'I'd rather you give me five minutes in a broom cupboard with you,' Sirius said.

James' eyes went wide and Peter's jaw dropped. They looked quickly back and forth from Sirius to the Prefect, whose own face had frozen in an impassive mask. 'I beg your pardon?' she asked, a slight pink hue coming to her cheeks.

'Did I stutter?' Sirius said in a completely calm voice as he ran a hand through his hair. The effect was stupendous, James had to admit—the prefect flushed completely. 'In lieu of the cupboard visit, I'd settle for accompanying you to Hogsmeade.'

It was extremely elegant—his tone was conversational and polite, and he capped it off by flashing a winning smile that James had never seen on his face. The Ravenclaw was positively flummoxed. She stepped forward and drew a quill and parchment from her bag. 'I'm signing you up for detention,' she said in a slightly abashed voice. 'And be lucky I'm not docking points.' She handed him the parchment and cast a gaze over to James and Peter, evidently having regained control of herself. 'Off you lot go,' she said firmly.

Once they were in the dining hall, James stopped short and rounded on Sirius. 'Where the hell did that all come from?' he said.

Sirius shrugged. 'I'm really quite charming, in case you hadn't noticed,' he said.

'That didn't go very well, though, did it?' Peter said.

'Yeah—detention?' James said skeptically..

Sirius rolled his eyes. 'Oh, I'm sorry—did you asking Lily 'if she eats' really go that much better?'

'At least she didn't give me detention,' James retorted.

'And neither did that fair dame,' Sirius said with a widening smile.

James frowned. 'But she—'

Sirius handed James the parchment which he unrolled and looked it, with Peter peeking over his shoulder.

'_Rowena Goldstein_

_Hogsmeade Visit. Main Hall. Eleven o'clock. Don't keep me waiting.'_

James looked up with his eyebrows raised and Sirius barked with laughter. 'A bet's a bet, Prongs.'


	16. Breakthroughs and Brothers

16

As the week wore on, James began to worry. Lily had taken to offering up a stream of excuses to avoid him, and the time was fast approaching for him to honor his deal with Sirius.

'Why doesn't she just say no?' Peter wondered aloud as they left Potions at the end of the school day on Friday, the night before their Hogsmeade visit.

Remus sighed. He had returned, as usual, later in the day when Sirius and James had made their agreement—something he called healthy for both of them. 'Broadening their horizons', he had called it at the time. 'Because it's not that simple,' he said after deliberating the point.

'Course it is—Prongs has done everything Lily's asked of him,' Sirius replied.

'Yes,' Remus said thoughtfully. 'But it might provoke a nasty situation with Severus.'

James looked at Remus. 'You think she _wants_ to say yes to me?'

'Of course I do,' Remus said promptly and calmly. 'She would have told you 'no' outright if she didn't. But I think her relationship with Severus has become so unstable that—were she to say yes to you—his mortal enemy—it could set off that particular powder keg.'

In spite of the downside of this—that she might say no—James felt a swell of good feeling at the idea that she wanted to say yes.

'A bet's a bet, though,' Sirius cut in to his reverie. 'If she doesn't say yes, you need to ask out someone else. I've already got my date, and I need a double,' he declared.

Remus chuckled. 'Afraid of being alone with a girl, Sirius?'

'Hardly,' Sirius snorted in a scandalized tone. 'But it was really only the interest of helping Prongs over his hang-up with Lily—'

'As opposed to your hang-up with Marlene?' James muttered.

'Neither here nor there,' Sirius said dismissively as Remus and Peter chuckled. 'OI!'

They looked up to see a Slytherin third year—Aubrey, his name was—tripping a Gryffindor first year. James and Sirius both had their wands in their hands instantly and the attention they drew was fantastic, as Aubrey's head had suddenly swollen to several times its normal size.

'Oh, come _on,_ I'm right here!' Remus said irritably. 'In plain sight of other students! Detentions. Both of you.'

'Worth it,' James said as he and Sirius exchanged a high five while Aubrey staggered about the corridor under the weight of his now-massive head.

Remus grimaced. 'Off to the hospital wing with you, Madam Pomfrey should have you right as rain in no time.' When Aubrey offered up a string of eloquent profanity in response, Remus responded much more coolly. 'If you'd like a massive set of detentions to go along with that head, by all means, keep talking.'

Aubrey went silent and staggered off in the direction of the hospital wing.

'Very authoritative, Moony,' James said.

'Oh shut up,' Remus replied with a sigh. 'You really should try to flout the rules less right in front of me. I don't like having to lord over you lot.'

Sirius shrugged. 'We're not fussed, mate. Just try not to get us in with McGonagall—she's brutal for detentions. Last time, she had me clean the boxes that she kept the chickens in for Transfiguration. It smelt like someone had shoved dung into my nose.'

'Serves you right,' Remus quipped. 'So, what's the plan now?'

'Well, detentions aren't until after supper,' Sirius said. 'We could nip out to the Shack and get in some Animagi practice?'

Remus grimaced. 'That's a bit risky though, it's still daylight.'

'We can use the map,' James said cheerfully. 'Come on!'

They eventually made their way out via a combination of the map and the cloak. It didn't completely cover all of them anymore, but with the map on their side they were able to remain unseen as they made their way into the hole at the base of the Whomping Willow. Upon arriving, Peter looked suddenly nervous. 'What if one of us gets stuck with a tail or something and we can't make detention?'

'Have a little faith, Peter,' Sirius said with a laugh. 'Shall I go first?'

'No, my turn,' James said firmly. He moved to the center of the room as the others took their customary positions sitting against the wall. Remus had brought along some of his homework books to read—the Animagus book was lying open next to him, which Peter was trying to glance at with a confused look on his face.

'Want to quiz me?' Remus asked Sirius.

Sirius made a face. 'What subject?'

'Potions,' Remus replied.

'I know it all,' Sirius said back.

Remus rolled his eyes and read his book as James stood in the center of the room, normalizing his breathing and calming his mind. He let his eyes close and his mind wander.

_Remember what Moony said…love is a feeling, not a thought. So don't think of it, but feel it._

James exhaled slowly and thought of the things he loved. Quidditch, Peter, Remus and Sirius, his parents…and then Lily. The second his mind touched on her, it was like a warmth spread outwards from his chest—he had never felt it before, and maybe it was because she was actually wavering on whether or not to accept a date. But the warmth kept spread through him, reaching the tips of his fingers and toes until it felt like he was steaming out of his ears and nostrils.

Another new sensation came over him—it was as if he was moving while simultaneously remaining very still. The warmth was now extending beyond where he normally should have felt it—it felt like his head was now changing shape, this his body was longer than it usually was. He knew a momentary feeling of discomfort, as if he were bending awkwardly to pick something up off the ground.

And then it was over—the warmth receded and the uncomfortable feeling lifted, leaving James standing there in the middle of the room. He opened his eyes and went to speak—he meant to tell the others about the feeling that had overcome him, to tell Remus that he was onto something with the idea of feeling rather than thinking—but nothing came out. He tried again—still nothing. He glanced over at the others, and the first thing he registered before even seeing their stunned faces was that his perspective of them had changed. He seemed to be looking up at them now a bit more than he was used to. _I'm not that short_, he thought to himself.

But then he saw their faces. Each one had a look of shock and amazement—mouths hanging open, eyes open wide, and frozen, unmoving. James tried to ask them what they were gawking at—had he grown horns again? Or a tail? But no sound came out. Confused, he went to gesture with his hand.

Only it wasn't a hand.

James started, moving backwards, and was suddenly aware of a sensation akin to being on his hands and knees, only he wasn't. It had not been a hand that had flashed in front of his face, but a cloven—a hoof. His forearm was now a leg, covered in short, fine fur. He looked up again, startled, his mind finally starting to grasp what had happened. _Holy hell…have I done it?_ He thought to himself.

'Prongs,' Sirius whispered. 'Prongs—you—you DID IT!'

And just like that, the atmosphere in the room broke. Sirius leapt to his feet, punching the air as Peter fell backwards with an ecstatic cry. Only Remus remained where he was in stunned amazement as Sirius bounded over to James. 'You look magnificent!' he said. 'How does it feel?'

Unable to talk, James settled for a snort and did his best to cock an eyebrow at Sirius.

'Oh, right—I guess you can't talk. Another improvement over the usual,' Sirius said excitedly. James bowed his head and gently nudged it to the side—one of his massive antlers caught Sirius in the knee, nearly tripping him. Sirius barked with laughter as he did. 'This is amazing! You should see yourself—oh, wait, here we go—'

Sirius pulled out his wand and waved it. A glistening mirror appeared before James and he looked at himself—it was an impressive sight. His antlers were majestic—massive tools for awe, defense and offense attached to his head. His body was rippling with muscles as he pawed the ground in front of him. His eyes had no whites—they were now completely the chocolate brown color that his irises had always been.

'Unbelievable,' came Remus' voice. He and Peter had now stepped up to James. 'Can I—?' Remus said, indicating James' antlers. He nodded his head and Remus ran his hand along it. 'This is incredible,' he whispered. 'You have no idea how rare this is—for anyone to do, much less a student!'

'Can you change back?' Peter asked in a tone of concern.

James stepped back from them and pondered to himself—how to change back? It had to be a feeling again. Something that made him feel human. He let his mind wander and suddenly found himself on the back of a broom, hurtling along the Quidditch pitch, elation in his stomach as he did. He knew that same sensation once more of warmth and awkwardness, and then he opened his eyes and saw in the reflection of the mirror that he was himself once more.

'Outstanding!' Sirius roared, clapping James on the shoulder.

'Right?' James said happily as he pulled Remus into a rough embrace. 'You're not going to be on your own for long, Moony!' he said.

Remus shook his head in amazement. 'You really—you are—I don't even know what to say,' he said as he stood back. 'This is incredible.'

'My turn,' Sirius declared, clapping his hands together. 'How did you do it, Prongs?' he asked.

James glanced at Remus. 'Moony had the right idea—it's about love, if you can believe it,' he said with a grin as Remus looked astounded.

'So what, you thought of Lily?' Sirius said with a smirk.

James looked at him evenly. 'Yeah, I did,' he said.

'How did you turn back?' Peter asked.

'I thought of something that made me feel alive, human—playing Quidditch,' James said. 'The feeling that comes over me when I ride a broomstick. A stag couldn't do that,' he said with a wink.

Sirius nodded to himself. 'Right,' he murmured. 'Something I love to change into one, something human to change back,' he went on.

'Let's give him some room,' Remus suggested and they all moved back to the wall.

Sirius stood there alone for several moments—at first, his brow creased as if he were straining, but then he exhaled and relaxed much as James had. If possible, James felt more nervous for Sirius than he had ever felt for himself. _Come on, brother…come on…_

It was sudden, instant and unexpected. James fought off the urge to jump, as right before his eyes, Sirius turned into a massive, black dog. There was a great cheer from James, Remus and Peter and Sirius bounded around excitedly to get in front of his mirror. His tail wagged excitedly as he got a good look at himself, and then he turned to face them again, running over to James and leaping up on his hind legs, slapping his paw into James' face.

'OI!' James spluttered as the other laughed, and just as quickly as Sirius had changed into a dog, he stood before James once again, barking with laughter.

'Payback for swiping me with your prongs, Prongs,' Sirius chuckled.

James rolled his eyes. 'I'll take my prong over your padfoot,' he shot back.

The mood dampened a bit over the next little while as Peter tried and tried without success to change. He appeared to be straining too much, and the rest of them were doing their best not to call out instructions, advice and encouragement all at once.

'It's almost supper time,' Sirius pointed out quietly after about an hour.

'I don't understand,' Peter moaned in a frustrated tone.

Remus smiled encouragingly. 'You and I don't have detentions, Peter. We can come back after supper.'

'That's a good idea,' James said, but Peter still looked forlorn. 'You lot head off to the dining hall—I'm going up to the common room to wash.'

'I'll walk with you,' Sirius said. They all made their way out of the willow together, checking the map. The dining hall was beginning to fill and there was no one around, so they slinked out rather easily and made their way into the school, where Peter and Remus headed for the dining hall and James and Sirius headed for the common room. 'About time we managed it, eh?' Sirius said happily.

James chuckled and a thought struck him. 'So what did you think of?' he said.

'What do you mean?' Sirius replied.

'Come on—was it Marlene?' James teased as they reached the top of the staircase and headed down the hall towards the Gryffindor common room, but he was suddenly aware Sirius had stopped walking. He turned to face him and saw Sirius looked a little uncomfortable. 'I'm just joking, mate, you don't have to tell me anything if you don't want to,' James said truthfully.

But Sirius looked him in the eye and took a breath. 'I thought of you,' he said steadily.

James blinked. 'Me?'

'Not like that,' Sirius said, suddenly looking embarrassed. 'But—you're my brother. You're my best friend. I'd follow you straight to hell and back, and…I'd die for you,' he said quietly. 'I don't feel that about Marlene. Maybe that's bad but…I don't feel that about _anyone_ else. Apart from Moony and Peter, but…' he trailed off. 'Well, I guess I should just say—for the record—I love you, man.'

James didn't wait to deliberate. He grinned and strode back over to his friend and he pulled him into a rough embrace. 'I love you too, Padfoot,' he said without hesitation into his friend's shoulder.

Sirius chuckled. 'Is this my nickname?' he asked tentatively.

'Turnabout is fair play, brother,' James said easily. 'Now come on—let's go wash up. We want to look nice and proper before we pursue that flighty temptress—detention,' he said as they walked together once more.


	17. Dinners and Permissions

17

It felt like an eternity later that James' detention with Professor Slughorn came to an end. 'Right, that should do,' he chortled from where he had been reading mail from his former students at his desk. 'Now, now, Mr. Potter—a boy of your intelligence really ought to be better at staying out of trouble,' he said with a patronizing wag of his finger.

'Yes, sir,' James said as he stood up from where he had been scrubbing the bottom of an old cauldron.

'Hopefully this time apart from your friends has given you pause to think. So—same time on Monday?' Slughorn said.

James waved his arm gingerly as he left. 'You've got it,' he said, smirking as he stepped out of the dungeons. He had not, in fact, been on his own. Slughorn had been so engrossed in his letters that he had not even noticed James and Sirius chatting excitedly via their two-way mirror. Sirius had gotten detention with McGonagall, and drawn the rather superlative misfortune of being forced to take out the erroneous by-products of the students' attempts at turning hedgehogs into pincushions. Several of them weren't quite completely transfigured and took bites or swipes at Sirius.

'I'd love cauldrons,' Sirius said meaningfully as they met in the great hall and began ascending the staircase towards Gryffindor tower. 'I need some essence of murtlap,' he added as he showed James his hands, covered in scrapes, scratches and pokes.

'Sorry, mate. Next time we'll switch,' James said.

'What's our plan, then?' Sirius said. 'Headed down to the Shack to see how Moony's making out with Peter?'

James shook his head. 'I need to try and catch Evans—I really don't want to have to start asking different girls to go along with me once we're all waiting for Filch to shake us down on the way out of school tomorrow,' he said.

Sirius chuckled. 'Alright. Well, I'm hitting the showers and going down,' he said as they arrived at the portrait hole. He scowled at this. 'Potioned Eclaire,' he said disdainfully.

'Right you are,' the Fat Lady sang with a smile like poison come to supper.

'She enjoyed that far too much,' Sirius said bitterly as they stepped inside. It was nearly midnight, and the Common Room was empty—except for an inhabited chair by the fireplace. 'Ah,' Sirius said. 'Well—night, Prongs,' he whispered and he took off at a near run for the staircase, taking them two at a time and disappearing. James looked after him with some amusement before settling his sights back on the chair's occupant, who was Lily.

'Evening,' she said quietly.

James held up a hand. 'Before you run away, I just want you to know—you can say 'no',' he said firmly.

Lily's face was unreadable. 'Yes,' she said.

'Yes you're saying no?'

'No, I'm saying yes.'

'Yes to eating with me? Or yes to you're going to say no?'

Lily laughed. 'Sit down, Potter,' she said.

James crossed the room and sat down across from her. 'I might—er—smell awful. I just spent the last few hours cleaning cauldrons for Slughorn,' he admitted.

'Yes, I know. I was the one who suggested that particular brand of punishment,' Lily smiled.

'You scoundrel—I'll have my revenge,' James scoffed.

Lily laughed. 'You ought to be thanking me—he was going to get you to scrub the undiluted bubotuber puss out of his old vials so he could re-use them. That would have caused you a lot more grief.'

James grimaced. 'So you were actually looking out for me?'

'Don't tell anyone,' Lily smiled.

'So,' James said slowly. 'This brings us back to eating together…what do you say?'

Lily appraised him for a moment. 'Here,' she said and she tossed him something quickly. He caught it out of midair and glanced at it.

'A baked potato?' he asked.

Lily held up one of her own with a smile. 'Dinner,' she said. 'With me.'

'How extravagant,' James said as he took a bite of his potato, which was still warm. 'So it's a yes then, is it?'

'Yes, we're having dinner together,' Lily replied simply as she took a bite of her own. 'I can't do it in Hogsmeade, though. I hope you understand why.'

James nodded. 'I do,' he said. 'Er—so I'm rather hoping you'll understand this. I have to ask someone else to go with me.'

Lily's eyebrows shot up. 'Come again?'

'I really do have a good reason!' James said, alarmed at the cold look in her eyes.

'I'm listening,' Lily deadpanned.

James swallowed his bite of potato. 'Sirius was really moping about Marlene, and I told him he needed to ask someone else to go. He said why should he when I never do.'

'You always ask me,' Lily said.

'Yes, and you always shoot me down,' James replied. 'So he reckoned his situation with Marlene was no different—neither of us could go with who we wanted, so we'd just go alone. I said if he asked someone else to go, I would too.'

Lily pursed her lips. 'So this is all to help Sirius out, is it?' she asked.

'Yeah,' James replied. 'I hope—I hope that's okay,' he added slowly.

Lily chuckled. 'The lengths you two will go to for one another,' she mused. She noticed James was still watching her apprehensively and she nodded. 'I understand, Potter. You're helping a friend. I'm not mad.'

'A little jealous, though?' James prodded.

'Watch it,' she said with a smirk.

Now it was James' turn to chuckle. 'This isn't so bad, is it? Our first date?'

'Oh this isn't a date, this is dinner. You asked if I would eat with you,' Lily said.

'Sounds an awful lot like semantics to me,' James pointed out.

Lily smiled grimly. 'We'll call it plausible deniability for me,' she said.

'Ah—for Sev,' James pointed out. Lily nodded. 'Well, no need to talk more about him on our first da—dinner,' he amended as she glanced up at him. 'So—er—do you go on a lot of dinners?'

Lily laughed. 'No. Have you?'

'No,' James replied. 'I'm pretty new at this. I guess we should ask each other questions?'

'As long as I'm not duty-bound to answer,' Lily said.

'Fair enough. What was the first bit of magic you ever did?' James asked, leaning back in his chair as he took another bite of his potato.

A far away gaze appeared in Lily's eyes as she remembered. 'They say most people do it for the first time when they're feeling a strong emotion—like if they're angry or scared. It was sort of like that for me, I suppose. I picked a lily—the flower—for my sister, Petunia,' she said. 'I put it in a vase and gave it to her. She liked it, but she was careless and didn't water it so it wilted and died. I was really sad—lilies aren't exactly common near our house, so I'd been really excited to find one. So I pulled it out of the vase and I was going to throw it out and I just remember wishing…wanting for it not to be dead.'

'So you brought the flower back to life?' James asked in an impressed voice.

'No—I inadvertently caused the door to slam in Petunia's face. She lost a tooth,' Lily said simply.

James roared with laughter and he was joined by Lily's pleasant tinkling laugh. She took another bite of her potato and gestured to him. 'So, your turn. First bit of magic you ever did.'

'Alright,' James said as he rolled his potato back and forth in his hands. 'I knew my parents could do magic, of course—I'd seen them do it loads. Always wished I could. I guess you could say I was a bit of a late bloomer—I'd known other kids my age that'd done their first bits, but I hadn't managed yet. So I got…frustrated.'

'What did you do?' Lily inquired.

'Well,' James said. 'I'm sure you'll find this ironic, but I stole my Dad's broom and climbed onto the roof of the house.'

Lily gawked. 'You tried to fly?' she whispered.

'I tried to fly,' James replied.

'So you succeeded?'

'I guess you could say I flew—if falling straight to the ground counts,' James said with a laugh as Lily grimaced. 'I landed right in my Mum's rose garden. She used to tend that thing a lot when I was little—they had me later than most people, I guess, so her garden had always been her hobby. I was terrified that I'd ruined it and I actually _did_manage to make them go back to the way they were,' he said.

Lily looked impressed. 'Nicely done,' she said.

'Dad saw the whole thing, of course,' James chuckled. 'Said if I hadn't fixed it, he would have.'

'Why didn't he stop you from leaping off the roof?' Lily asked in alarm.

'Don't you wonder how I fell all the way to the ground and didn't break anything?' James replied coyly.

Lily looked relieved. 'Well, thank goodness for that.'

'I'll say,' James chuckled. 'So, your turn—hit me with a question.'

Lily looked as though she were deliberating the point carefully. 'What is your biggest regret?' she said.

James contemplated that. 'Not killing Rochefort,' he said after a moment.

'He's a very skilled wizard…' Lily began.

James shook his head. 'I had my chance,' he said quietly. 'I cast the killing curse. He didn't know it was coming, I hit him dead on. I just…didn't have it in me,' he said quietly.

'That's a good thing, Potter,' Lily said.

'Is it?' James replied. 'He's killed people since then—he nearly snuffed me and my parents last spring, and his plan got a lot of Aurors killed,' he said darkly. 'If I'd just been able to manage it…'

Lily leaned forward. 'Potter—you can't beat yourself up over something like that. Plenty of other people have had a chance to kill Rochefort and failed. You're in good company. Besides…you would have voided our deal if you'd done it.'

'I forgot—we're getting him together, aren't we?' James said.

'Too right, we are,' Lily replied with a sniff. 'He's caused too many of my friends too much grief for him to be allowed going on doing what he's doing,' she said.

James smiled, and then nodded at her. 'Your turn. Biggest regret?'

Lily paused. 'It's difficult,' she said. 'I love this school, I love the people in it, but…sometimes I just wonder if I'd never been a witch, would Petunia hate me this much?' she said quietly, staring at the floor as she did so. 'We used to be great friends,' she added in an undertone. 'But when I found out I was a witch—and this whole new world was opening up to me, but not to her—she changed. She wanted nothing to do with me.'

'That's like regretting breathing, though, Evans,' James said. 'Being a witch and a wizard is what we are. We shouldn't have to apologize for that, any more than she should have to apologize for not being one.'

'But what if I never was one, and we were still friends?' Lily asked, her green eyes finally looking up at James.

He pursed his lips. 'Can I speak candidly, for a moment?' he asked. She nodded he smiled grimly. 'Your sister is a bitch,' he said flatly. She blinked and then burst out laughing. 'I'm serious,' James said. 'I've met her, and I've seen how she treats you and how she looks at you. She's just jealous of you. And frankly, there's a lot to be jealous of.'

'What do you mean?' Lily asked with a wrinkled eyebrow.

'I've only got ten fingers, so let's how quickly I can count them off,' James said. 'You're smart, you're pretty, you're funny, you're strong, you're one of the best students in our year, you have the best study habits of anyone in our year, you're a prefect, you've defied the Dark Lord, you've saved your own family's life, you've saved the lives of others, you see the good in people, you help people when they're down, you care about people even when they give you no reason to and you're amazing,' he finished.

Lily blinked. 'You really think all of that about me?' she asked after a long moment.

'Of course I do,' James said.

'I—thank you, Potter,' she said slowly.

'You're welcome, Evans,' he replied earnestly. 'So—onto a different question,' he said as she smiled at him. 'Who was your first kiss?'

The smile vanished as her mouth fell open. James roared with laughter as she looked at him in a scandalized fashion. 'I—you—I don't have to answer that,' she said hastily.

'Your face is priceless right now,' James said.

'That's because you went from being all thoughtful and touching to a—a—'

'I think 'toerag' is your go-to term, there,' James grinned.

'Am I that predictable?' Lily asked.

'Only when it comes to insulting me,' James grinned. 'So? Come on. First kiss?'

Lily flushed harder than ever. 'I can't believe you're making me answer this,' she moaned.

'You'll forgive me if I throw myself out the window if it's Snape,' James said flatly.

Lily scowled at him. 'No, it wasn't—I've never kissed Sev,' she said hotly.

'You have no idea how relieved I am to hear that,' James said earnestly.

Lily sighed and she looked at the ceiling. 'I…have…never been kissed,' she said.

'Really?' James asked.

'What, you think I'm the sort that just likes flaunting things around?' Lily asked with a mischievous smirk.

James raised his arms. 'Of course not—just—I don't know—absurdly pretty girl like you,'—she rolled her eyes—' it's a bit surprising, is all.'

'How about you then? Now that you've thoroughly embarrassed me—who was your first kiss?' Lily asked with a slight air of expectation.

James laughed loudly again. 'You were there for it, Evans, remember?'

Lily looked like she was racking her brain, and then her eyes widened. 'That's right!' she said with a sudden laugh. 'Mary McDonald!'

'Yes, the most inelegant, drunken, slobbery kiss of all time,' James said with a sigh. 'That was also the night we made our bet you know. The one where you agreed to go on a date with me.'

Lily sighed. 'Ah, yes, the bet,' she mused.

James chuckled. 'Consider your obligation fulfilled, Evans. I'm having a marvellous time.'

'Me too,' she said with a bright smile. 'So—who are you planning to take to Hogsmeade tomorrow to fulfil your bet with Sirius?' she said.

'Boy, you know how to kill a mood,' James said with a dry laugh. 'I haven't got the foggiest idea.'

'Plenty of girls would be willing,' Lily hinted.

James shrugged. 'I don't know—I don't think I've got Sirius' swagger when it comes to that.'

Lily laughed. 'You've got something far more attractive, Potter. You're entirely unaware of how good looking you are. That's more intriguing than someone like Sirius who is the exact opposite.'

'Aha! So you think I'm good looking?' James teased.

Lily rolled her eyes. 'Don't make me regret paying you a compliment,' she replied.

James took another bite of his potato. 'You know, you've ruined potatoes for me now,' he said thoughtfully. 'Any time I try to eat one, I'm going to think back to this moment.'

'The potato is that good?' Lily asked in a mocking tone.

'The company is,' James said with an easy smile.

They sat there for what felt like hours—James never saw Sirius and the others come or go, he was completely enraptured in his conversation with Lily. But almost in a blink of an eye, she glanced at her watch. 'Oh my,' she said. 'It's half past five.'

'You're kidding?' James said, looking over at the window—the sky was still dark, but it would start to brighten soon. 'If you like, we could turn this dinner into breakfast,' he suggested.

Lily laughed lightly, but she stood. 'I should try and get about a minute or two of sleep,' she said. 'I'm sure we'll run into each other in Hogsmeade.'

James walked with her over to the staircase to the girls' dormitory. 'Let me know if you ever want to share a potato again,' he said with a smile.

'I'll bear that in mind,' she said, turning those dazzling green eyes upon him.

He smiled widely. 'Evans,' he said. 'I'll never do this again without your permission.'

'Do what—?' Lily asked, but she was cut off as James leaned forward and kissed her on the lips.

There was a moment that seemed to last an eternity—James felt like he had been hooked up to a conduit, electricity and energy surging through his body. It felt as though every hair on his body stood up and goose bumps covered his skin. Lily's hands then touched his shoulders and—for the merest fraction of a second that James could not even tell whether it truly existed—her lips moved against his and her hands clutched his shoulders.

But then, she pushed him back. She was breathing heavily, and her cheeks were redder than they had ever been. Her eyes were closed for a moment, but then they opened and stared at him—their brilliant green hue almost seemed to have darkened somewhat. 'What…the hell…was that?'

James grinned goofily. 'Now even if you never give me another look…at least I was your first kiss,' he said.

Lily scrutinized him. For a moment, James thought she was going to hex him—but then she leaned forward again. James could scarcely believe his luck—was she going to kiss him?

But she bypassed his mouth, and her lips went straight to his ear. 'Do that again, Potter,' she whispered silkily, 'and I'll show you what the inside of your face looks like.'

James fought off the urge to laugh as Lily stepped backwards up the stairs, looking at him with a look equal parts ice and amusement. 'Good night,' she said after a long moment. 'Sleep well.' And with that, she disappeared.

James let go of a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. 'Right,' he muttered as he turned to head back to the boys' dormitory. 'Because I'm really going to sleep now.'


	18. Awakenings and Favours

18

_Sweet was the best way to describe the taste on James' lips, as for an infinitesimal second he felt Lily's lips move against his own as her hands clasped his shoulders. He felt as though he were floating…no, falling…_

He was falling.

'ARGH!' he yelled with a crash as he fell onto the floor out of his bed, landing painfully on his elbow. He rolled over, eyes watering with pain and looked up to see Sirius had inverted his mattress to tip him out of bed. 'What the bloody hell was that for?' he thundered.

Sirius barked with laughter. 'For not waking us up when you get back!' he said as he dropped the mattress and sat down on it. 'We tried staying awake, but you guys were really burning the midnight oil,' he said earnestly.

'A simple 'oi, James, get up' goes a long way, you know,' James said ruefully as he got to his feet.

'I agree,' Remus sniffed as Sirius rolled his eyes. 'So? How did it go?'

'What happened?' Peter asked excitedly. 'Is she going with you to Hogsmeade today?'

James chuckled. 'Look at you little gossips,' he said.

'Don't be a tease, now, Prongs—fess up. What happened?' Sirius demanded.

'No, she is not going to come with me to Hogsmeade,' James said, noticing the crestfallen looks on his friends' faces. He was struck by how they were all pulling for him. 'But that's fine,' he said quickly. 'Because we had a dinner last night that was great.' He went into a quick description of the night's events—the baked potato, the swapping of stories about their first bits of magic which drew great laughter from the Marauders, and finally the one about first kisses.

'Who was her first kiss?' Peter asked.

Sirius grimaced. 'If it was Snivellus, I'm throwing myself out that window,' he said, causing James to burst out laughing at his recollection of saying the same thing.

'No, it wasn't Snape,' James said, fighting off a grin.

'Who was it then?' Remus asked curiously.

James bent over to grab his travelling cloak from his trunk as nonchalantly as he could. 'Me,' he replied simply.

There was a moment of silence in which James turned to face them—they all had the same looks on their face that they had had when he had managed becoming an Animagus for the first time. Just as it had then, the silence was suddenly broken by Sirius letting out a great cheer, leaping to his feet and tackling James to the floor.

'You snogged her!?' Peter asked, thunderstruck.

'That's my boy!' Sirius thundered. 'All grown up,' he added with a mocking sniff as he rustled James' hair.

Remus grinned. 'Well done.'

'Details!' Peter gasped.

James described how he'd done it, earning looks of shock from Peter and Remus and more laughter from Sirius. 'You've got more guts than brains, Prongs, I'll give you that,' Sirius said.

'That was—er—very brave,' Remus said.

'So what happens now?' Peter asked with a furrowed eyebrow. 'You still have a bet to uphold with Sirius…how are you going to break that to Lily?'

James waved a hand. 'Already done,' he said with a sigh. 'She knows I'm asking someone else and why, and she's fine with it.'

Remus chuckled. 'I really need to start remembering that you have no brain-to-mouth filter whatsoever,' he said.

'You'd prefer I'd kept it secret?' James asked.

Remus frowned. 'Well, no,' he replied.

'Exactly,' James said loftily. 'So now I just need to find someone to go with me.'

Sirius looked thoughtful for a moment. 'Mary McDonald would probably say yes,' he said.

Peter cleared his throat. 'She's going with someone else,' he said meekly.

'Who?' Sirius demanded.

There was another moment of silence during which Peter turned as red as the curtains on his four poster. Remus' jaw dropped, James' eyes went wide and Sirius froze.

'Peter Pettigrew!' James said after a moment. 'Do you have a _date_?'

Peter's mouth worked open and shut for a moment before it finally closed and he nodded. This time it was Remus who stepped over and wrapped Peter in a crushing bear hug, lifting him from the ground as James and Sirius leapt forward with whoops and hollers of their own. Sirius was rustling Peter's hair while James play-punched his shoulders.

'Your turn for details!' Sirius said. 'How'd it happen? How'd you ask her?'

Peter smiled bashfully. 'She asked me,' he said in a small voice.

'Well, if there's a best way to do it, I'd wager that's it,' Sirius said with a laugh. 'Make them do the work, that's what I always say!'

'And you wonder why you're single,' Remus deadpanned.

Sirius stuck his tongue out. 'Hark who's talking, Moony—where's your date for today?'

Remus turned slightly pink, but otherwise, mastered a look of supreme indifference. 'Personal choice,' he said after a moment.

'Keep telling yourself that,' Sirius said as he elbowed him in the side. 'We'd best get downstairs now.'

James yawned. 'What time is it?'

'Five past ten,' Remus replied as he glanced at his watch. 'What time did you end up coming to bed, anyway?'

'Almost six,' James said to whistles from the others. He then remembered something. 'How did practice go last night?'

Remus smiled encouragingly as Peter sighed. 'Really well,' Remus said. 'He managed a partial transformation, nothing we haven't seen before mind you, but an improvement from the afternoon.'

'He had that worm tail again,' Sirius said as they made their way out of the dormitory and down the stairs into the common room. It was packed with Gryffindors donning their travelling cloaks and getting ready for the trek to the village. James instantly spotted Lily standing over in the corner of the room talking to Alice—the two faces painted quite a contrast. Alice was smirking in a massive way, and Lily was shaking her finger in her friend's face in an admonishing manner.

Sirius frowned as they descended the staircase. 'What do you suppose that's about?' he muttered.

'Almost looks like she's telling Alice off—or warning her about something?' Peter suggested. 'Oops, there's Mary—I'll catch up with you lot later,' he said as he bounded over to the fireplace where Mary sat.

Remus shook his head and smiled. 'They grow up so fast,' he sighed.

'Good for him,' Sirius said truthfully. 'He needed a win.'

'Hear, hear,' James replied as they crossed the room towards Lily and Alice. 'Alright, Evans?' he said pleasantly as they approached.

Alice turned her massive smirk on them, and if possible, it seemed to get even bigger. Lily, however, looked as though nothing was amiss. 'Morning, Potter,' she said pleasantly. 'Sleep well?'

'Briefly,' James said with a grin. 'You?'

Alice let out a loud giggle, causing Lily to step on her toe. James laughed at the exchange as Lily glared daggers at Alice.

'Am I missing something?' James asked coyly.

Alice laughed again. 'We could blow dry your hair with the things that go over your head, Ja—OOF!' Lily had just elbowed Alice in the stomach. 'I think I'll go see if Frank wants to go to Madam Puddifoot's,' Alice wheezed as she slinked away, rubbing her stomach.

'Was that Prefect-like behavior?' James asked earnestly.

'Necessary force,' Lily said with a smirk. 'So, who is your date going to be? If I'm not mistaken, you have approximately four minutes to conjure one out of thin air.'

James grimaced. 'Thanks for the reminder,' he said. 'Who are you going with?'

Lily looked thoughtful for a moment. 'Moony,' she called. James whipped his head around to see Remus look over from where he was standing by the staircase to the girls' dormitory, conversing with Emmeline Vance. 'Would you like to accompany me to Hogsmeade?' Lily asked in a sweet tone of voice.

'It would be my pleasure,' Remus said with a bright smile.

James scoffed. 'Asking out a fellow Marauder?' he said in a scandalized tone.

'A fellow Prefect. We need to stick together, you know—solidarity against ruffians such as yourself,' Lily replied.

'You cut me deep, Evans,' James replied, shaking his head as Remus strode over to join them. He quickly scanned the room. 'Any suggestions?'

Lily laughed. 'As fun as it is watching you squirm, Potter, I took the liberty of doing you a favor. I've arranged a date for you.'

James appraised her. 'When you say favor, do you mean something I'll appreciate? Or is this the sarcastic kind of favor where I find out I'm expected to do a ballroom dance with a mountain troll?'

'Be nice,' Remus admonished.

Lily laughed once again. 'I think you'll enjoy it,' she said with a knowing smile.

'So who is it?' James asked, unconsciously running a hand through his hair and trying to smooth it down. An odd look crossed Lily's face as he did so, and Remus hid a sudden laugh behind a cough.

'Main Hall,' Lily said after a moment. 'We should start walking.'

Sirius suddenly appeared at James' side. 'Ready for the off?' he said.

Remus wrinkled his nose. 'What in the name of Merlin is that smell?'

'Cologne,' Sirius replied. 'Isn't it great?'

'Is the objective of this scent to induce vomiting?' Remus asked.

Sirius frowned. 'Well, of course not.'

'Then no, I would wager it isn't great,' Remus replied as he gagged. James plugged his nose and Lily stepped back from him. 'Where in the world did you get that?' Remus asked.

Sirius looked dumbfounded. 'Gideon and Fabian gave it to me, said it would be really helpful!'

James closed his eyes and prayed for patience. 'Padfoot, say that again. Only this time, slowly, and listen to the words coming out of your mouth.'

'Padfoot?' Lily asked, but the others ignored her as Sirius complied.

'Gideon and Fabian gave it to me, said it..it…oh…' a look of dawning comprehension spread over Sirius' face. 'Those miserable little—!'

Remus laughed. 'Nice to see they've moved on from making my life as a Prefect difficult,' he said as he clapped Sirius on the shoulder.

'Well, now what am I supposed to do?' Sirius whined. 'We have to leave now…'

Lily sighed and with a simple flick of her wand, the smell vanished. Sirius goggled at her. 'I believe the phrase you are looking for, Sirius Black, is 'thank you',' Lily said.

'I—you—thanks,' Sirius stammered.

'Why so surprised?' Lily asked.

'You did something nice,' Sirius replied flatly as they began to walk towards the portrait hole.

Lily raised her eyebrows. 'Aren't I always nice?' she asked.

'Careful, it's a trap,' James whispered.

'Well—not to _me_,' Sirius replied.

Lily chuckled. 'Well then, in keeping with tradition, we will say that I did that to spare poor Ms. Goldstein the horror of you smelling like that for your entire date.'

They all laughed as they walked. They began to steal furtive glances towards the back of the group where Peter and Mary were walking together—equals in height, Mary appeared to be talking earnestly about Quidditch while Peter listened with an expression that was equal parts fascinated and lost. 'They grow up so fast,' Sirius said with a sigh.

'So what are you doing for your date?' James asked.

'Whatever the lady desires,' Sirius said with a roguish wink. 'Speaking of which—where's yours?' he demanded.

James shrugged. 'It's a mystery—Evans has arranged one for me.'

'That's brave,' Sirius said with a grimace, causing Lily to stick her tongue out.

James fixed Remus with a gaze. 'And where do you intend to take fair Evans?'

'Three Broomsticks?' Remus asked and Lily smiled, nodding her agreement. Even though it was completely platonic, James felt a small twinge of jealousy somewhere within him. He shook it off as they arrived in the great hall, which was already filling up with student who were buzzing with excitement over the first Hogsmeade visit.

Remus pointed. 'There's your date, Sirius,' he said.

They all looked over to see Rowena Goldstein standing, wearing a brilliant, forest-green travelling cloak. Sirius grinned goofily and strolled over to meet her. James fought off the urge to laugh at the equal parts pleased and appraising look she was giving him.

'Think she's having second thoughts?' Lily muttered.

James chuckled. 'Sirius is very charming—they'll have a great time,' he said. He then turned his gaze on her. 'So? Who's my date?'

'Right behind you, James,' came the familiar voice of Dorcas Meadowes from behind him. James jumped and then roared with delight, turning and embracing her.

'When did you get here, Captain?' James asked excitedly, turning from her to Lily who was grinning.

Dorcas chuckled. 'Just now,' she said with a wink to Lily who grabbed Remus by the arm and escorted him away.

James shook his head in amazement. 'It seems like you're always there when I need you,' he said with a sigh.

'Of course,' Dorcas said loftily. 'Like I'd let you go out with anyone other than the girl of your dreams. But, appearances must be kept—where will you be taking me for our date, Mr. Potter?'

'Don't call me that, I look over my shoulder for my Dad,' James laughed. 'And I'll take you wherever you'd like to go, Captain,' he said, feeling his impossibly good mood somehow get even better as they headed for the doors.


	19. Progress and Problems

A/N: I'm sorry for the delay—work has been crazy and we went on a road trip out of town for about a week. I'll be gone for a week in October as well, but never fear, the story continues!

19

The Three Broomsticks was alive with the buzz of Hogwarts' students talking and laughing loudly. James spied Lily and Remus sitting at a table across the room, chatting excitedly about what James could only assume was homework.

'You two really are amusing,' Dorcas said with a chuckle from across the table.

James glanced back at her. 'Sorry, didn't mean to ignore you, Captain,' he said hastily as he wrapped his hands around the large mug of butterbeer sitting before him.

Dorcas shook her head as she sipped her own mug. 'That's not what I meant,' she said. 'You both keep taking it in turns to glance over at one another. It's really rather adorable,' she said with a grin.

'Oh stuff it,' James said, but he was inwardly pleased to hear that Lily was keeping an eye on him. The walk to Hogsmeade had taken virtually no time at all, but the group had split up upon arriving—Sirius had made a rather large show of escorting Rowena Goldstein off to Madam Puddifoot's, and Peter and Mary eventually slunk off after them. Remus and Lily had headed for the Three Broomsticks, and James and Dorcas had followed shortly after. 'So are you going to tell me how it was that Evans got a hold of you so quickly? I didn't know owls could get to Appleby so quickly.'

Dorcas chuckled. 'I have far more reliable means of communicating than owls, James,' she said with a wink.

'And you didn't fill me in on that?' James asked, clutching his hand to his heart.

'Trade secret. I'd wager you have more than a few of those of your own,' Dorcas said with a raised eyebrow.

James sighed. 'Very true,' he said.

'Still,' Dorcas went on. 'I was surprised to get the call. Not so much in that it happened, moreso on when—I didn't expect you to make progress with Lily so quickly.'

'You underestimate me,' James said.

'My mistake,' Dorcas said dryly. 'How was dinner?'

James grinned. 'I'm more curious to hear what Lily had to say about it,' he pressed.

'She certainly spared no breath talking about how forward you were,' Dorcas said, unable to stop herself from grinning widely. 'It made for a very entertaining story. She was getting it hard from Dearborn at that point.'

'You think it was a bad idea to kiss her?' James asked.

Dorcas snorted. 'Merlin's beard, no,' she said. 'I only wish Dirk had been that gutsy. I practically had to maul him to get our first kiss over and done with,' she said.

'Well then, here we are, birds of a feather,' James said raising his glass, to which Dorcas toasted. 'Did she say anything else?'

Dorcas adopted a suitable poker face. 'Oh James,' she said with a theatrical sigh. 'Would that I could tell you.'

'Oh come on,' James whined. 'You're being a tease.'

'Very true. But the payoff will be worth it,' Dorcas added.

James was suddenly reminded more than a little uncomfortably of Gilles Rochefort. _'But the payoff, Potter…the payoff was set to be so dreadfully sweet…'_

Dorcas frowned. 'Are you alright?' she asked.

'Sorry, bad case of déjà vu,' James said as he shook the voice out of his head. 'Just remembering last spring.'

Dorcas looked sympathetic. 'I wish I'd gotten there sooner,' she said softly.

James forced a smile. 'You always get there in time, Captain,' he said bracingly. 'One of these days I'll return the favour—not that I'm hoping you'll find yourself in a life or death situation or anything,' he said.

'Let's hope not for a while,' Dorcas said.

'But you were talking about Evans,' James pressed.

Dorcas laughed again. 'You sure are persistent,' she said with a sigh. 'I guess you have to be to still be chasing Lily after all these years. But I am afraid it is not my story to tell.'

'We're just talking about her reaction to dinner last night, aren't we?' James asked in confusion.

Dorcas smirked and slowly, almost imperceptibly, shook her head. 'No, we aren't,' she said in a mischievous voice. 'Dinner, James, is the proverbial tip of the iceberg here.'

'You're killing me,' James sighed, rubbing a hand over his forehead. 'Spit it out, will you?'

'Like I said, it's not my story to tell,' Dorcas said cryptically.

On that cryptic note, Professor McGonagall had arrived to tell everyone it was time to head back to the school. Dorcas had apparated directly out of Hogsmeade to return to Appleby (and to avoid further cross-examination from James). Hilarity had shortly followed as Professor McGonagall had entered Madam Puddifoot's to further round up students. Sirius Black was chased out the door of the establishment moments later, McGonagall narrowly missing striking him with an umbrella as she shouted at him for some sort of 'outrageous' behavior.

Peter and Mary had slunk out shortly after, both somewhat pink in the face. Peter had then remarked on what lovely weather they were having, in spite of the fact that it was raining.

'So how as your date?' James asked Lily and Remus as they headed back to the school.

Remus chuckled. 'I think you already know—you two were taking it in turns to look over at each other,' he said with a smirk.

Lily looked scandalized. 'I was not!' she said.

'Then you must have kept hearing a sound coming from James' general direction,' Remus quipped causing them all to laugh as Lily, pink in the cheeks, sighed.

James glanced over at Sirius, who was wiping lipstick from his face. 'And I gather you had a good date?' he asked.

'The best,' Sirius declared, although he wilted a moment later as Professor McGonagall turned a withering glare on him.

'What exactly did you do to get her so worked up?' Peter whispered.

Sirius winked roguishly. 'Not for impressionable ears, Peter,' he said with a bark of a laugh, causing McGonagall to glare once more.

The next few weeks passed in the blink of an eye—while James did not get another dinner with Lily, she was friendlier to him than she had ever been before. This was a cause of consternation for Snape, who would spy them talking in the Great Hall and subsequently give James his ugliest looks to date. The first Quidditch Match of the season against Hufflepuff came and went as well, with Gryffindor winning almost before the match had even begun, with Alice spying the Snitch almost right away.

The stream of uneventful time came to an end abruptly, however, the night before the full moon.

'I just don't know what else I can do!' Peter was saying furiously as he kicked the Animagi textbook across the room, earning a reproachful 'Really!' from Remus who bent over to scoop it up. 'I haven't made any progress in what feels like years!' It was past three in the morning and they were all sitting in the Shrieking Shack.

'It's okay,' Remus was saying placatingly. 'I'm fine on my own, Peter.'

'The hell with that—we'll be coming out with you tomorrow,' Sirius said bracingly.

'But Peter…' Remus began.

Sirius waved a hand. 'Come on, Moony—one of you is disappointed about not being able to transform, and one of you can't help becoming a werewolf once a month. Who's need is greater?'

'I've been doing this my whole life,' Remus said steadily. 'Maybe your time would be better spent helping Peter instead.'

'Back me up here, Prongs!' Sirius said heatedly.

Everyone turned their gaze on James who sighed and wiped his glasses. 'We still have the whole night ahead of us,' he said. 'Let's start again from the beginning. Everyone just calm down,' he said.

'Even if I get it now, there's no guarantee I can do it again tomorrow,' Peter whined.

'Just forget about tomorrow for the moment,' James said calmly, waving down Sirius who had looked ready to shout. 'Just close your eyes for a moment and focus on—on your own breathing, alright? Just breathe in and out.'

Peter complied and Sirius leaned against the wall, clearly resisting the urge to sigh heavily. Remus put his chin on his knees and watched from the floor. A few moments passed in which no one said anything.

'Okay, I feel calm now,' Peter said quietly.

'Good,' James said. 'Now, just try and think of something—or someone—that you love while also focusing on your breathing,' he said.

Peter nodded and everyone fell silent once again. _Come on, Peter…_James thought to himself. They stood in silence for a long time, seconds bleeding into minutes. Unlike previous attempts, Peter's face was not screwed up in concentration—his breathing was coming out in even amounts. He was calm, placid.

And then, all at once, Peter shrunk. If James had blinked, he would have missed it altogether and thought that Peter had simply vanished—it took him a moment to realize that Peter was now the rat on the floor that was before them. It was so quick—so soundless, so seamless—that it was almost as if nothing had happened, even though something incredible had.

Sirius fell over as Remus leapt to his feet. James clapped his hands with a cheer and they all stepped closer to Peter who skittered backwards in alarm. 'Quick, Padfoot—that mirror!' James said. Sirius waved his wand and a mirror appeared between them. James, Remus and Sirius all stepped back so Peter could get a good look at himself.

'Alright, Peter—can you change back?' Remus said happily.

It took a moment, but suddenly, Peter was standing before them again smiling bashfully.

'You did it!' Sirius roared, wrapping him in a bear hug and lifting him from the ground. Remus clapped him on the back while James reached up and tussled his hair.

'I'm kind of small though, aren't I?' Peter said worriedly.

'No different from usual,' Sirius said with a playful elbow as he dropped him to the ground—Sirius was over a foot taller than Peter.

'What if you lot step on me?' Peter said worriedly.

James laughed. 'If it makes you feel better, you can ride on my prongs, how about that?'

Peter grinned. 'That would be great!'

'So?' James said with a clap of his hands. 'Are we going to try this out tomorrow, or what?' he said excitedly.

Remus looked slightly hesitant. 'You're all sure…' he began.

'YES!' the three of them shouted as one back at him and he laughed in spite of himself. 'It's taken us three long years, Moony, but we're finally ready to report for duty—Messrs Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs!' James said.

Peter groaned. 'Really? I'm getting stuck with Wormtail?'

'If the tail fits,' Sirius said with a bark of laughter. 'And really, is it any worse than Prongs? James sounds like some kind of seafood.'

James stuck his tongue out. 'I wear it gracefully,' he said loftily.

'It's almost four,' Remus observed. 'We'd best get back up to bed.'

Sirius kept elbowing Peter playfully. 'So? Was it Mary that was running through your head? I ought to buy her a card,' he said.

Peter flushed. 'Oh shut up,' he said. 'I think you still have some of Rowena's lipstick on you.'

'That's the spirit,' Sirius said as they headed back down the tunnel. 'Just think, you lot—tomorrow night, Moony won't be on his own!'

They all whooped as they headed down the hall, chattering excitedly. Even Remus was abuzz with excitement as they reached the end of the tunnel. 'Prongs, make sure the coast is clear,' Sirius said.

'Right,' James replied as he pulled out the Marauders' Map. 'I solemnly swear that I am up to no good,' he murmured and the map came alive and he squinted.

'Clear?' Sirius said. 'I'm feeling lucky tonight—might escape the Willow's branches unscathed!'

James shook his head. 'Holster that thought,' he said glumly. 'Snivellus is on the prowl.'

'What? Where?' Remus said in alarm.

'Keep your voices down—he's not far off, actually…he's skulking around the court yard…'

Even in the dark, it was easy to make out the worry on Peter's face as he whispered, 'But if he's up there, how will we get out?'

'We'll just have to wait it out—he can't sit there forever,' Sirius said. 'Is he moving at all, Prongs?'

James shook his head. 'No—he's just sitting across the courtyard from the willow.'

'He must suspect this is where we come to…' Remus said quietly.

'How can he have done? He's never seen us go in before, we've seen to it with the map,' Sirius said.

James rubbed his chin. 'No, but in our first and second years he saw us come out to the tree…even if he doesn't know about the tunnel, he might have guessed the willow had something to do with it…'

'So what do we do? If dawn breaks and we're still here, it's going to be big trouble for us,' Remus said.

James' mind was racing. 'We need to distract him long enough to get out of here…' he muttered, and then a light bulb went off in his head. 'Wormtail! You're up!'

'Come again?' Peter said in a voice of abject terror.

'This is perfect!' James hissed, clapping his hands together quietly. 'Wormtail, you can transform—you're small enough that you can move through the grass without Snivellus seeing you!'

Sirius gaped. 'That's perfect!'

'…and then what do I do?' Peter asked.

'Hex Snivellus,' Sirius said excitedly.

'Oh come _on_,' Remus muttered. 'Here's what we'll do. Peter, you transform and scarper out of here—circle around and transform back into yourself, and then just distract Severus. Talk to him about something—while you have his attention, we'll sneak out of here.'

Peter looked worried again. 'What do I talk to him about?'

'I still think he should hex him…' Sirius muttered in a hopeful tone.

'Ask him what he's doing out so late,' Remus supplied.

'And what if he asks me the same thing?'

'Oh for Merlin's sake, Wormtail, come up with something! Lie!' Sirius hissed.

'Alright, alright,' Peter said with a grumble. 'Give me some space,' he added. 'I need to concentrate.'

They all waited in silence—there was no sound and no light to give them any indication that it was successful. It wasn't until Sirius swore somewhat loudly as Peter had evidently crawled passed his foot that they knew it had worked. 'Good luck Wormtail,' Remus whispered encouragingly. They saw him disappear up through the hole in the passage and it was off he went.

'Keep an eye on him on the map,' Sirius said.

They watched intently—Peter escaped the reaches of the willow and did a long loop. There was also no indication on when or if he turned back into himself, but soon enough, they saw him go behind Snape.

'Do you think they're talking—?' Sirius began, when they heard raised voices.

'Now!' James hissed and there was a mad dash to the entrance. Sirius scrambled up first—they didn't waste any time waiting to see if the branches were clear. One by one they emerged and were sent flying by the Whomping Willow. James landed heavily on the ground, smarting the elbow that had been bruised by Sirius weeks earlier. They were all on their feet in a moment, however, and they were dashing over to where Peter and Snape were, as Snape now had his wand drawn on Peter.

'OI!' Sirius hissed as they dashed up to them, wands drawn and ready for a fight.

Snape spun, his eyes finding Sirius first with utmost loathing—but then he spotted James, and his face contorted with such rage that James stopped in his tracks. Snape had given him loathing looks before, but never had there been this level of hatred and disgust etched on his face.

'You're dead, Potter,' he snarled. 'You are dead.'

'You'd think I'd have stopped walking around,' James said coolly, but Peter was frantically gesticulating at him from behind Snape. James barely had time to register that, as Snape advanced on him, his wand pointing at James' face. 'Whoa there, Snape,' James said as he backpedaled. 'Remember our cease fire—' he said.

'The hell with that!' Snape snarled. 'You—you kissed Lily!'

Sirius had been making to step between them but he frozen on the spot. Remus bit his lip and James quickly glanced at Peter, who was looking at him with a facial expression that was equal parts apologetic and fearful.

'Well, see, you should really let me explain…' James began.

Snape waved his wand and James squinted his eyes shut, ready for whatever hex was about to hit him, but the only sound that met his ears was a strange bouncing sound. He opened his eyes to see the hex had rebounded off a shield charm that had been thrust up in front of him. Snape's face was unreadable as he looked over James' shoulder—James turned and saw Lily standing there, her own wand held aloft.

'Uh…' James began. 'Alright, Evans?'

Lily's eyes took in the situation—moving over all of them. 'Just what is going on down here?' she asked in a hushed voice.

James glanced back at Snape who said nothing, but stormed past James—his shoulder colliding heavily with James' as he went.

'Hey!' Sirius hissed, raising his wand, but Remus quickly batted it aside.

'Sev—' Lily began as he walked by her.

'Save it,' Snape spat as he took off without looking back. Lily looked affronted as he went and she looked back at them in confusion as Snape disappeared into the school.

Lily blinked, the look of hurt on her face lingering for only a moment as she looked at them. 'What was that?' she said.

'I have the same question,' James said, turning to Peter. 'What exactly did you tell him, Peter?'

Peter looked meekly around at them. 'I—I—I couldn't think of anything else to say…'

'About what?' Lily asked, but they ignored her.

'What did you say, Peter?' Sirius pressed.

Peter gulped, looking between James and Lily in terror. 'I said—I asked—if he had heard that James had kissed Lily.'


	20. Lies and Thanks

20

'…if he hadn't already heard from somebody in school, it was really only a matter of time until he did,' Remus said tentatively.

It was breakfast. James, Sirius, Remus and Peter were sitting by themselves at the end of Gryffindor table. After their encounter with Snape the night before, Lily had immediately taken off after him without another word to the rest of them. James had sat by the fire in the Common Room for hours waiting, to no avail – she had not returned. He had finally gone to sleep somewhere around five in the morning, only to be roused a short few hours later by the others. Now, they were sitting in glum silence, with still no sign of either Lily or Snape. Sirius was stabbing his food with rather astonishing venom.

Peter squirmed. 'I'm sorry, Sirius,' he muttered.

'I'm not even mad at you,' Sirius said through gritted teeth. 'It's all Snivellus' fault—if he wasn't skulking around trying to find us after dark, trying to get us into trouble, we wouldn't be in this mess,' he added savagely.

James looked down at his plate and sighed as he took a mouthful of his rapidly cooling food. He wasn't hungry, but it gave him something to do with his mouth other than speaking his mind.

'James, I wouldn't worry about it,' Remus said quietly. 'If there was a time for her to be upset with you, that time was when you kissed her. She wasn't angry. She'll just be doing damage control with Severus.'

James swallowed hard. 'I wish I could believe you,' he muttered.

'I don't think you're giving Lily enough credit,' Remus said. 'If she's going to be mad at you—and by extension, us—it will be for the fact that we were out after curfew.'

'You don't think she'll get us in trouble for that, do you?' Peter asked fretfully.

Sirius rolled his eyes. 'Who cares if she does or not, Wormtail? We've got bigger issues right now. Like how to stop Snivelly from following us all the time.' When Remus sighed, Sirius glanced up. 'Come on, Moony—if this isn't an issue now, it's going to be when we start getting together once a month down there. If he finds out…'

'The thought has crossed my mind,' Remus said bluntly. 'What would you have me do about it?'

'We should do unto him before he does unto us,' Sirius hissed.

'Again—how?' Remus said.

Sirius' mind seemed to be working. 'I'll think of something,' he muttered.

The door to the dining hall opened and they all looked up—but it was not Lily, nor was it Snape. It was Professor Zharkov who entered, standing there in rather impressive fashion as he gazed up and down the Gryffindor table. Even before his eyes found James, James knew it was he that Zharkov was looking for. He walked over and nodded to the others. 'Good morning,' he said softly. 'Mr. Potter, please disburse these to yourself, Mr. Longbottom, Ms. Evans and Ms. Dearborn,' he said.

With that, he walked off, causing the others to look at James—for the moment, all thought of Lily and Snape seemed to leave their heads. 'What's that?' Peter asked.

'I almost forgot,' James said as he opened the envelope with his name on it. 'Zharkov wants to give us private lessons…'

'Just you four?' Sirius asked in a slightly crestfallen tone.

James nodded. 'Since we're the ones to successfully defy Voldemort, he figures we need it,' he muttered. 'Next Saturday night at six o'clock. At least it won't conflict with the full moon, Moony.'

'Joy,' Remus muttered dryly. 'You're really sure you want to try this tonight?' he asked tentatively. 'It might be good to get another month of practice in before going for it…'

'Nonsense,' James cut in firmly, feeling suddenly confident. The thought of both joining Remus at the full moon after years of work, and the private lessons with Zharkov beginning seemed to quell his poor mood. 'We've worked too hard and too long to delay any longer. I think we'll be just fine. Right you lot?'

'Right,' Sirius said immediately, while Peter nodded and looked somewhat nauseated.

Remus sighed. 'Thanks,' he murmured. 'Madam Pomfrey should be along to collect me soon.'

'Why does she do it in the morning?' Sirius asked.

'So it's not always evident that I'm leaving right before the moon rises,' Remus replied quietly. 'Spending the day in the Shack lets me catch up on some homework anyway. I just need to be sure to throw my books down the tunnel before I…' he trailed off, glancing around.

'…have your furry little problem,' James said with a smirk.

At that moment, the door to the great hall opened again. They all looked over once more to see Lily enter, a hard edge to her facial expression. Her bright green eyes quickly took in the length of the table before locking on James. She headed in their direction.

'Ah, we were just leaving,' Remus said, standing hastily and shuffling down the table with Sirius and Peter following suit, all three of them casting apologetic looks back at James as they went.

James cleared his throat as Lily sat down across from him. 'Alright, Evans?' he asked, as he pushed the envelope with her name on it across the table.

For a moment, Lily's expression turned into a frown. 'What's this?'

'Professor Zharkov wants to give us private defense lessons,' James said quietly.

'Oh,' Lily said after a brief pause.

James swallowed. 'So? Am I in trouble?'

Lily blinked. 'Trouble?' she asked.

'Aren't you mad at me?' James pressed.

Lily shook her head. 'There was a time for that, and that's long past,' she sighed.

James fought off the urge to smirk at the thought that—yet again—Remus had predicted Lily's response. 'That's a relief,' he said.

'I'm still wondering, though,' Lily said with a sidelong glance at him, 'what you lot were doing out that late.'

James shifted uncomfortably. 'Oh, you know,' he said. 'Up to our usual shenanigans. We had Prefect Moony with us,' he said as if that justified their rule-breaking.

'You shouldn't be getting him into trouble—he could lose his badge,' Lily pointed out.

'He's a big boy, he knows what he's doing,' James replied.

Lily drummed her fingers on the table. 'I'm not stupid you know,' she said after a moment.

'I never said you were,' James said with a frown.

Lily leaned forward. 'So why don't you tell me what it is that you're really up to? I know exactly what time of the month it is, James Potter,' she said with an edge in her voice.

'So do I…' James trailed off, picking his words carefully. 'What is it you think we're doing, Evans?'

'You're trying to figure out a way to join Remus during the full moon,' she said. It was a statement and not a question.

_She really does know us too well. I need to tread carefully here,_ James thought. 'That would be suicidal,' he said in the most convincing tone he could manage.

'You've attempted plenty of suicidal things before, Potter,' Lily reminded him.

'True as that may be, tell me then, Evans,' James said conversationally as he picked up a piece of toast and took a bite. 'How would one accompany a werewolf on the night he transforms? You are undoubtedly better versed in academia than I am,' he said with a sanctimonious nod at her that caused her to roll her eyes. 'So how would I pull that off?'

Lily was momentarily quiet. 'You could think of something,' she said.

James snorted theatrically. 'Right. I, James Potter, could think of something that no wizard in history has ever managed? Consider that for a moment, Evans,' he said, adding his most charming and—he hoped—innocent smile. 'You would be paying me one hell of a compliment if you were to truly believe I could succeed where so many have failed.'

Lily looked less sure of herself now, but when she spoke, it was quietly. 'If there was someone out there, Potter, whom I believed could unearth an obscure way to help a friend in need…it would be you.'

James blinked. Lily was looking down at the table. 'Thank you,' James said truthfully. 'But really, Evans…I've got nothing. As much as I want to help Remus—as willing as I would be to do anything to help him—I'm powerless to do anything,' he said glumly.

'Are you telling me the truth?' Lily asked.

'Of course,' James replied, squirming inwardly.

Lily looked up from the table. 'Remember what you said to me a few years ago? That you'd never lied to me, and you dared me to name a time you had?'

'Yes,' James said slowly, not liking where this was going.

'Then look me in the eye and tell me you aren't planning to join Moony tonight,' Lily said evenly.

James cleared his throat and looked Lily square in her eyes. _Her beautiful, green eyes…that are absurdly difficult to lie to…_

'Potter?' Lily asked after a moment.

'Sorry—I got distracted,' James said, refusing to let his gaze waver. _Moony, Padfoot and Wormtail are counting on me_, he reminded himself. 'Evans, I swear—we've got nothing and we are not joining Moony tonight or on any other one of his nights.'

Lily regarded him for a moment and then blinked and looked away. 'Okay,' she said. 'I trust you, Potter.'

James fought off the urge to grimace. He hadn't imagined lying to Lily would be this difficult. 'You've got nothing to worry about, Evans,' he said in the most convincing tone he could manage. 'On another note…how _did _things with Sev go?'

Lily sighed. 'Imagine you'd heard that he had kissed me,' she said.

'I'd throw myself out the window,' James said.

'Exactly,' Lily replied.

James smiled again. 'Should I expect to pass a Snape-shaped pizza on my way to class this morning, then?' he asked with a slightly hopeful tone.

'Metaphorical window, Potter,' she said with a small laugh. But there was something else in her expression. 'Just…steer clear of him,' she said after a moment. 'I don't want his temper to get the better of him.'

And with that, she stood and strode off to the end of the table to get some food. She sat down next to Alice and Marlene and was immediately immersed in conversation. James stared after her for a long moment, barely even noticing when Remus, Sirius and Peter came to sit down next to him again. 'That seemed to go well,' Remus whispered.

'No yelling. That's definitely an improvement,' Sirius said as he clapped James on the back.

James smiled faintly. 'No, she wasn't even really mad,' he said.

'Then why do you still look down?' Peter asked.

'I…had to lie to her,' James replied lamely.

'About what?' Sirius asked.

'About tonight,' James said.

Sirius shrugged. 'Well, of course you did—we're breaking the law, not exactly top of the list of things I'd be rushing off to tell Lily Evans about,' he said with a chuckle.

'It just felt wrong. I don't like lying to her,' James said as he ate more of his toast.

Remus smiled. 'Well, it's a good sign you feel bad about lying to _someone_,' he said with a laugh as James hurled a piece of egg across the table at him.

'You guys ready for this?' Sirius asked excitedly. 'Three years' worth of work is going to pay off tonight!'

Remus pursed his lips. 'Given that I have remained thoroughly incapable of talking you lot out of this for that amount of time, I suppose I have no choice but to be excited,' he said with a grin.

'Wicked,' James said. 'Tonight, the Marauders ride together!'

The day seemed to pass excruciatingly slowly, especially after Remus was whisked away by Madam Pomfrey. James, Peter and Sirius did their best to adhere to their normal routines so nothing seemed out of place. Their plan was methodically executed, however; to avoid arousing suspicion, they agreed to head to bed early for the night, before curfew took effect. They then snuck out together under the cover of James' invisibility cloak so that the fact that the Portrait Hole was opening and closing would not give anyone pause for consideration. They then made their way through the castle unseen with the aid of the Marauders' Map, and they sat outside out of the reach of the Whomping Willow until after the curfew had taken effect.

'Okay, here's my idea,' James said. 'If someone glances out the window and sees us heading for the tree, it'll be game over. So I think we should change now.'

Sirius wrinkled his nose. 'How will we hit the knot on the tree, then?'

James glanced at Peter. 'Wormtail can handle that,' he said.

'I can?' Peter asked in confusion and then his eyes widened. 'I can!' he added confidently.

'Get to it then!' Sirius whispered with a grin and they waited in silence as Peter closed his eyes. It took a moment, but then in a flash, Peter had become the rat and had scampered out from underneath the cover of James' cloak. They watched as Peter ran through the tall grass towards the base of the three, which paid him no notice due to his size.

'We should get to the edge of the forest so that we're not just appearing out of thin air,' James said after a moment. The two of them moved under the cloak to the edge of the woods where they took it off. James stashed the cloak in his robes and exhaled. 'You read for this?' he said.

'I was born ready,' Sirius said happily. A split second later, Prongs and Padfoot stood where James and Sirius had been a moment earlier. They bounded across the grounds with Padfoot in the lead. They hesitated at the edge of the reach of the Whomping Willow, and Prongs gingerly stepped forward to see if it would still swing, but Wormtail had been successful. They cantered forward and Padfoot squirmed into the opening at the base of the tree, Wormtail following a moment later. Prongs had a bit of difficulty squeezing his head into the hole, but with some effort, he managed to squeeze his way through. They padded down the hallway and then slowly emerged into the Shrieking Shack where Remus sat before them on the chair.

'Don't change into yourselves,' Remus said, looking particularly peaky. 'The moon should rise any moment.' He shifted in his seat. 'Before it does, I just wanted to say…well, I mean…from the bottom of my heart…' Prongs nodded his head in encouragement as Padfoot offered a soft growl. Wormtail was silent from the floor.

A beam of moon light shone in through the window, casting its pale light on the floor between them all.

Remus grimaced, his eyes glinting in the darkness. '…_thank you.'_


	21. Excuses and Warfare

A/N: Apologies for the prolonged delay in getting this chapter in place – work has been insane, and we had over a week's holiday to celebrate my birthday. As usual, rest assured, the saga will continue.

21

Reality came back to James sharply and swiftly. He suddenly found himself staring at the top of his four poster, feeling completely awake and alert. For a moment, anyway – that was before the searing pain in his leg forced him to clamp his hand down on top of it with a grimace. The haphazard repair job he, Sirius and Peter had managed on it only a few short hours ago definitely left something to be desired, but going to Madam Pomfrey was out of the question.

It would be easier to hide than Sirius', at least – he had a long cut on his cheek where, in Padfoot form, he had taken a nice cut from one of Moony's claws. Peter alone remained unscathed, as he had been able to dart around and in between the three larger Marauders as they had 'played'.

That was the best way James could think of to describe it. Played…

_For a moment that seemed to last a very long time, they all stared at each other – stag, rat, dog and wolf. Moony was clearly unaccustomed to visitors, and he let loose with a low, menacing growl that was instantly answered, to everyone's surprise, by Padfoot, who stepped forward. Wormtail instantly scurried behind the large, black dog that was stepping towards the even larger wolf. Moony blinked in surprised and backed up a bit as Padfoot barked—not a menacing bark, but almost a playful sound that seemed to intone that there was no harm meant from their presence._

James rolled out of bed, gingerly touching his feet to the floor and feeling a fresh wave of pain. 'Damn,' he muttered to himself as he shakily got to his feet.

'Damn is right,' Sirius groaned from within the confines of his bed. 'Maybe I should say I'm ill,' he added after a moment.

_Moony barked back in a sound that seemed most unbecoming of a werewolf – it was almost a question, or an acquiescence to the fact that there was more than one authority in the room now. Moony was used to being the master of his own domain, but clearly, there were now others. Did this mean a challenge, or an alliance? Was this friend or foe?_

Peter appeared from the bathroom looking bright eyed and cheerful. 'I think that all went rather well,' he said happily.

James chuckled dryly. 'Easy for you to say,' he replied.

'Yeah,' Sirius muttered from inside his four poster. 'You didn't have to do any heavy lifting.'

_Moony barked louder this time and then moved—so quickly that no one was ready for it. He batted Padfoot in the head with one of his long arms, again, not a gesture of violence but almost to say 'come and play', and the fight was on—Padfoot charged into Moony's midsection and they crashed to the ground, as Prongs and Wormtail watched in a combination of amusement and trepidation._

'He's got a mean left hook when he's a wolf, that's for sure,' James sighed.

'Do you want me to take another look at your leg?' Peter offered.

James smirked. 'When I want my leg to fall off, Peter, you'll have my permission to try,' he said, earning a bark of laughter from within Sirius' four poster as Peter turned slightly pink. 'Come on, Sirius—it's almost breakfast time.'

'I thought we agreed I was saying I was ill?' Sirius demanded.

'If I can walk, then you can show your face,' James said firmly.

Sirius opened the four poster, revealing his face with a long cut down his right cheek. 'And just what will I say?' he demanded.

James shrugged. 'You cut yourself shaving?' he suggested.

'Only muggles use razors,' Sirius snorted.

'And given your fascination with muggle items, everyone will believe you were stupid enough to try it,' James replied earning hysterical laughter from Peter this time as Sirius gave him an ugly look.

_Moony and Padfoot were a dizzying blur of fur and claws, barking and snarling at each other as they fought. Moony swung out again, this time cutting a groove in Padfoot's face. Padfoot roared in fury and clutched Moony's arm in his jaws, clamping down hard and causing Moony to yelp in pain. Prongs had seen enough and he lowered his head and rammed his way between them, batting each of them aside with his antlers. Moony scowled and kicked out with on of his powerful legs, jabbing Prongs in one of his hind legs with so much power that a sharp twinge of pain that signaled something had broken surged up Prongs' leg. Prongs felt immense pain and then fury—he swung his head violently to the side, smashing his antlers into Moony's torso and sending the wolf crashing to the ground._

Peter was smiling again. 'Well, at least he was hurting you and not himself, right?' he said.

'Big consolation,' Sirius muttered as he gingerly touched his face. 'Shaving, you reckon?' he said with a resigned sigh. 'And how do we explain your limp?'

'Fell off my broom while practicing Quidditch,' James said easily—the idea had come to him on their way back from the Shack only hours before.

Sirius snorted. 'No one will believe that,' he said dismissively.

James chuckled. 'We'll say I was practicing some new hotshot move to show Evans. Maybe she'll take to me like a wounded kitten, nurture me back to good health,' he said with a sigh.

'Right,' Sirius muttered. 'And I'll be made Minister for Magic. Are we going now or what?'

As a trio, they made their way down the staircase into the common room which was already filling up with students for the day. James did his best to conceal his limp, but it wasn't particularly easy.

'And what have you done to yourself, James?' Alice Dearborn asked with unabashed amusement as she folded her arms in front of him. Lily was standing off behind her—her eyes flickering back and forth between James' limp and Sirius' face.

_Moony barked at Prongs, pawing at the ground as he sized him up. Prongs lowered his head, shaking his massive antlers back and forth in an intimidating manner, as if daring Moony to come have a go…._

'Fell off my broom,' James said easily causing Alice to raise her eyebrows.

'You? Fell off your broom?'

Frank suddenly appeared, a skeptical look on his face. 'You, the one who lashed your jelly-arm to the broom so you wouldn't fall?'

'You who outflew You-Know-Who?' Mary McDonald called from the couch.

James threw up his arms. 'As embarrassing as it is, yes, even the best of us fall from time to time,' James said in as foppish a tone as he could manage, earning eye rolls from Frank and Alice.

'And what have you done to your face?' Lily asked Sirius in a cool voice.

'Equally embarrassing. I was shaving,' Sirius said.

Lily blinked. 'You tried shaving?' she scrutinized the cut. 'With what, a chainsaw?'

'English please, Evans,' James replied.

Lily appraised him skeptically. 'A muggle instrument used to cut down trees,' she said, earning some appreciative 'ooohs' from those in the room who were not overly familiar with Muggle contraptions.

'Anyway—breakfast?' Peter said in a high voice. James resisted the urge to kick him.

The common room emptied out until only James, Sirius and Peter remained. 'Come on, you lot, we've got to be better at lying than this,' James hissed at them.

'Sorry! I'm not good at lying!' Peter moaned.

'Well just shut it then and leave it to us,' Sirius hissed. 'If anyone finds out, we'll be in big trouble.'

'Do you think anyone suspects?' Peter asked.

James swallowed. 'I'd bet my left arm that Evans certainly does,' he muttered. 'And I'd bet my right arm that she's probably going to try and catch us at whatever it is we're up to. I think we're safe where everyone else is concerned, though.'

'Right. So you just keep handling Evans like you have been and we'll be all clear,' Sirius said bracingly.

James sighed. 'How come I have to keep handling her?'

'We've just established that Wormtail is dreadful at lying,' Sirius said easily. 'And we all know that you're the one she's going to come to with any accusations. When's the last time she accused me of doing anything?'

James chuckled. 'Interesting how you always seem to escape unscathed, isn't it?'

'I think it means she likes you,' Peter said earnestly.

'Thanks for the vote of confidence, Peter, but I was rather hoping for a different method of showing affection than interrogation,' James quipped to another roar of laughter from Sirius as they exited the common room. The hallway was empty as far as they could see, with everyone else having already taken off for the dining hall.

Sirius sighed loudly. 'It's almost unfair—in the old days before your truce, I'd have said this would be the perfect time for a Slytherin ambush. I've been yearning for a fight,' he muttered.

'Then allow me to oblige,' came the voice of Severus Snape. James dove to the ground without thinking, his Quidditch reflexes coming to his defense as a spell sailed over his head. He turned the dive into a roll, pulling his wand from his robes as he regained his feet just in time to see Mulciber send a spell directly into a surprised Peter's face. James whipped his wand and non-verbally sent an Impediment jinx at Mulciber who deflected it at the last second.

Sirius was backing up quickly, deflecting spells from both Snape and Avery, as Mulciber and Regulus Black pushed towards James with a bombardment of jinxes and hexes.

'Accio wand!' James called, summoning Peter's wand to him as he hurled up a shield charm just in time to deflect a volley of stunners back at Mulciber and Regulus. With both wands, he pushed forward: 'Stupefy!' he called. Mulciber was quick, deflecting the spell, but Regulus was caught in the arm and sent spinning to the ground.

'What the hell happened to our truce, Snape!' James bellowed as he nimbly dodged a bizarre curse from Mulciber which sent green water flying at him.

Snape diverted his attention from Sirius, leaving Avery alone to battle him and he hurled a complex curse at James, who had just deflected a heavy stunner from Mulciber. He threw himself backwards but the curse got him in the foot. James felt as though he had been grabbed by the Whomping Willow as he was lifted and then hurled through the air until he crashed into a wall heavily and slid to the floor.

'OI!' Sirius yelled as he dodged forward, ducking a disarming spell from Avery whom he then punched in the face. 'Levicorpus!' he yelled, successfully hoisting Mulciber into the air.

Regulus was back on his feet, and with a kamikaze yell he leapt onto his older brother, taking them both to the ground. In the meantime, James had regained his feet, his wand pointed at Snape who similarly pointed his wand at James. Snape's face was contorted with undisguised loathing. 'You,' he hissed.

'And you,' James replied in a voice of surprising calm. 'May I ask what brings you in such ill tiding?'

'Don't pretend that you don't know,' Snape hissed. 'Half the school is talking about it!'

James cocked an eyebrow. 'Our pending Quidditch match?' he asked innocently. 'I can't help it that your team is simply dreadful. Bad selection of players to blame, if you ask me.'

'This isn't about Quidditch!' Snape said as Regulus and Sirius rolled around behind him, Sirius finally succeeding in pinning his brother to the floor as he reached for his wand.

'Ah, so this would be about Evans, then?' James asked.

'Don't even say her name!' Snape snarled.

James rubbed his chin. 'I'm a little surprised that you brought Tweedle Dumb, Dumber and Astoundingly Dumber with you, then,' James said with a nod at the upside down Mulciber on the last count. 'Wasn't it your great friends that called her a Mudblood?'

'Don't change the subject! You—y—you KISSED her!' Snape roared.

'I did,' James replied. 'What of it?'

Snape spluttered incoherently but he stopped dead when a wand pressed into his back. 'Drop it,' Sirius said angrily.

Snape complied, allowing James to take in their surroundings. Mulciber still hung from the ceiling, Avery was trying to stagger back to his feet, and Regulus was bound by magical ropes on the ground. Peter had not moved. 'Nice work, Padfoot,' James said with a smile.

'Not at all, Prongs,' Sirius replied. 'So what do we do with this one?'

James considered Snape for a moment and smiled maliciously. 'Nothing,' he replied.

Snape and Sirius both looked at James with mirrored looks of amazement. 'Come again?' Sirius replied incredulously in a voice that could have belonged to a four-year-old.

'Nothing,' James replied. 'As I haven't cast so much as a spell against Snivellus here, I have not violated any terms of the truce set out for us by the lovely Ms. Evans,' he said, allowing the smile to linger as Snape's face turned an ugly shade of puce. 'Snivellus will have to explain how it is that Peter came to be taken to the hospital wing.'

Sirius looked at Snape, clearly waging a battle in his mind on whether it would be more satisfying to watch Snape argue with Lily over the possibility of hexing him, but reason won out. 'You're lucky, Snivellus, that Prongs is so devious,' he said.

'You watch your back, Potter,' Snape hissed. 'I'm going to end you.'

James yawned theatrically. 'I think I've heard this before—change the record, Snivellus,' he said dismissively. 'Winguardium Leviosa,' he then called firmly, levitating Peter over to them. 'To the hospital wing, then.'

'Deprimo,' Sirius said quickly, and the wands of the Slytherins were sent catapaulting down the hallway. 'Just being careful,' Sirius said with a sanctimonious salute to Snape as the he and James walked off to leave them there stewing. 'You really think this is the best idea?' Sirius whispered as they faded out of earshot. 'I could still hit Snivellus from here…'

James shook his head. 'Play it cool and follow my lead. Snivellus will be his own undoing.'

Sirius rubbed his chin. 'It's good mental warfare, Prongs but what if…'

James glanced at his friend. 'What if, what?' he asked.

Sirius looked at him with worry. 'What if he comes up with some of his own?'


	22. Skives and Talks

22

Upon arriving at the Hospital Wing, a flurry of reactions met them. Madam Pomfrey was tending to Remus, and obviously had not expected anyone. At first, she was flustered. 'Sorry, but there needs to be some privacy!' she said as she walked towards them briskly. That was before Peter's unconscious form floated into view and her jaw dropped. 'But what's happened to him?'

'Took a hex in the face,' James said morosely as Madam Pomfrey took over, getting him to a bed. 'Not too sure what kind.'

'Looks like a stunner, thank heavens…magic in the hallways, Merlin's Beard—you'll be alright for a few moments, won't you Remus?' she asked anxiously.

Remus nodded from his bed as James and Sirius made their way over to them. 'That's not because of me, is it?' Remus asked worriedly.

James waved a hand. 'Not at all,' he said.

'This is,' Sirius said with a dry laugh as he indicated the cut on his face. Remus went pale. 'It's alright—I told everyone I cut myself shaving,' he said easily. 'Last night was great!'

'So what happened here then?' Remus asked incredulously.

James cleared his throat. 'Snivellus,' he said.

Remus' jaw dropped. 'For real?'

'You bet,' Sirius said airily. 'Violating the terms of their cease fire. Oh, this is going to be good,' he said with relish.

'Not necessarily—if he and James fought, Lily's apt to give them both a chance,' Remus pointed out.

Sirius grinned wider still. 'That's the thing—Prongs here didn't fight back.'

Remus looked at him in surprise. 'Come again?'

'Mental warfare,' James said with a half smile. 'He lampooned me with some kind of spell, but I didn't strike back. We had to take out Mulciber, Avery and Regulus, though,' he said.

Sirius snorted. 'What d'you mean 'we'? I seem to recall doing most of the heavy lifting,' Sirius said with a roguish grin.

'Wow,' Remus said. 'Well…that does alter the landscape of things a little bit, then,' he mused to himself.

'So? Tell me what happens now,' James said eagerly.

Remus laughed. 'I'm not a prophet,' he said.

'No, but you are stunningly accurate with your guesses most of the time,' James pressed. 'So you're Evans. What happens now?'

Remus pursed his lips. 'It depends, really, on how she finds out about the—er—tiff,' he said with a smirk. 'If she hears about it from a third party, I wouldn't want to be anywhere near her. She's going to be furious.'

'At Snivellus, right?' Sirius asked.

'Right,' Remus replied. 'If Severus tells her himself, however, she might be more forgiving.'

James grimaced. 'Let's hope someone else tells her, then,' he said.

'No one else saw the fight—it was just us and the Slytherins,' Sirius said. 'Maybe I should go…'

'Third party, Sirius. You're hardly impartial,' Remus said with a small half-smile. His voice then dropped. 'Now while we wait, tell me more about last night? Did I hurt anyone else?'

'Well…' James said with a laugh.

_Moony leapt back to his feet, snapping his teeth at Prongs. Padfoot interrupted once more, but this time it was by ripping a cushion off of the seat where Moony had sat when he was Remus, and throwing it to Moony. Moony sniffed the cushion for a moment before grabbing it with his teeth and shaking it back and forth so the stuffing flew out of it._

'It was a bit like playing with a puppy,' Sirius said after a moment's thought.

Remus blinked. 'A puppy,' he said flatly.

'Well, a puppy that's eight feet tall and has more teeth than all of Hogwarts combined,' Sirius added to a laugh from all three of them. 'You gave Prongs a good kick.'

'How good?' Remus asked.

James shrugged, glancing over at Madam Pomfrey to make sure she was still out of earshot. 'You broke my leg. It's no big deal.'

Remus spluttered. 'I—you—what?! I broke your _leg?!_'

'Keep it down, will you?' Sirius hissed.

'That's—this is—we can't do this—' Remus was saying.

James pet his arm reassuringly. 'I'm walking right now, aren't I? Have a little faith in us, Moony. I'm right as rain.'

'That explains your limp,' Remus said glumly.

'Remus,' James said seriously. 'It was a good night. We had a good time. Everyone is fine. Considering it was the first time, I think it was a smashing success.'

Remus snorted. 'I was hoping that 'smashing' wouldn't be used quite so literally,' he muttered to a bark of laughter from Sirius, which earned a reproachful look from Madam Pomfrey as she strolled over.

'Now really, this is a hospital wing,' she said loftily.

'Will Peter be alright?' James asked as they were all serious again.

Madam Pomfrey nodded. 'Should come around any minute. I will certainly be reporting this to the Headmaster, though—you say he was attacked? Magic in the hallways…'

'…is expressly forbidden, we know,' James said calmly. 'Believe me, we weren't looking for trouble.'

Madam Pomfrey sighed. 'I hope you never do go looking for it, Mr. Potter, because it seems entirely capable of finding you,' she said.

'When are you allowed to go?' Sirius asked Remus as Madam Pomfrey stepped into her office.

Remus shrugged. 'I feel well enough to go now. I didn't really hurt myself too badly this time, so I don't need much recovery time.'

James grinned. 'See? We were helpful,' he declared as he and Sirius exchanged a high five.

Remus smiled bashfully. 'Alright, alright, let's not get too full of ourselves, it was just one time,' he said.

'I can't wait for next month,' Sirius said.

Remus snorted. 'You might not be able to.'

'Oi! Peter's coming round!' James hissed as he and Sirius bounded across the room. Remus clambered out of his bed and followed as Peter sat up, looking dazed. 'Welcome back, Wormtail,' James said.

Peter shook his head. 'What happened?' he said shakily.

'Mulciber whacked you in the face with a spell,' James said.

'Mulciber?' Peter asked with a frown.

Sirius clapped him on the shoulder. 'Don't sweat it—Prongs got him with the Levicorpus charm. He was purple in the face last time I saw him,' he said happily.

'But why…?' Peter began.

'Snape,' James said flatly.

'Oh,' Peter said simply, and then he looked at James. 'Oooooh…is Lily going to be mad at you?'

James grinned. 'Hopefully not, seeing as how I didn't touch him,' he said. They quickly explained the whole story to Peter who still looked apprehensive.

'But if Snape gets to her, he could lie…'

Remus rubbed his chin. 'I doubt it. He doesn't seem like a very capable liar, and Lily is especially difficult to lie to,' he said. James' mind momentarily drifted to something that Snape had once said to him in this very room.

'_Have the last three years taught you nothing? If you want to win—if you want to truly win—you can never reveal what is inside your heart, Potter,' he said. 'You have to be devious. You have to be cunning. You have to wait for the opportune moment when victory and safety is assured.'_

_James frowned. It was as if he was seeing Snape for the first time clearly. 'So that's what you're doing?' he asked. 'All of this…Death Eater mania? Ready to join the Dark Lord? This is all a game meant to protect Evans?'_

'_Don't presume to know anything about me, Potter…'_

'Earth to Prongs,' Sirius was saying, waving his hand in front of James' face. 'You still with us there, matey?'

'Yeah,' James said still somewhat absent-mindedly. 'I think it's time for a spot of breakfast,' he said. 'You two feeling up to it?' he asked with a gesture towards Peter and Remus.

'Ravished,' Remus said and Peter nodded as they all stepped away from the beds and into the hallways. 'We'll have missed most of breakfast time,' he said as they did so.

James shrugged. 'What was first class this morning?'

'Potions,' Remus said automatically.

'Anyone feeling up for a skive?' Sirius said dramatically.

'Read my mind,' James replied with a grin.

Remus sighed. 'You know, as a Prefect, I really should be encouraging you to go to class.'

Sirius clapped him on the shoulder. 'Well, you just did. The fact that we choose to ignore that encouragement hardly reflects on you, now, does it?'

'Me joining you in skiving does,' Remus muttered.

'I say we bolt back to the dormitories for the cloak and the map,' James said eagerly. 'That way we can make our way to the kitchens for some breakfast unimpeded.'

'Messrs Padfoot, Wormtail and Moony reporting for duty,' Sirius said excitedly.

As they made their way to the Gryffindor dormitories to grab their things, they chattered excitedly about the night before. 'I'm glad you lot were having fun,' Peter muttered. 'It was pretty frightening from my perspective.'

'How do you figure?' Sirius asked.

'There I am, as big as your foot is right now, surrounded by three tree trunks thumping and crashing around,' Peter said.

'But you're quick enough to avoid us,' James said.

Peter snorted. 'Quick or not, it was still brown-trousers time,' he muttered to a roar of laughter from James and Sirius, while Remus looked disconcerted.

'They've probably noticed we're not in class by now,' Remus said with a sigh as they left the dormitory once again.

'Potions…with the Slytherins,' James muttered to himself. 'Wonder what Snape and Evans will be talking about?'

Sirius rubbed his hands together. 'Wouldn't it be great if someone told her while they were in Potions and she exacted some sort of revenge upon him like she did to you in first year?' he asked.

'First year?' James asked, struggling to recall.

'Peppermint Sprigs,' Remus said with a fond, reminiscing sigh, and James remembered—Lily had spiked a Melodus Draught which had caused him to sing all day.

'Oh,' James said. 'That.'

'Come on—you had a marvelous voice,' Remus said as he elbowed James in the side.

'Har har,' James replied. 'Right, everyone under the cloak then while I check the map,' he said. 'I solemnly swear that I am up to no good…' he muttered. The map populated with the masses of ink blots that showed the students up and about. James' eyes instinctively roamed to the Potions classroom where Lily was set to be—only she wasn't there. Snape was there, as were Mulciber and Avery, but there was no sign of Lily there.

'Well?' Sirius asked. 'Is the coast clear?'

'Uh, hang on a minute,' James asked, his eyes scanning the map. She was not in the dining hall, she was not in the hallways between the dining hall and the potions classroom…

'Any day, now, Prongs, it's not easy fitting all of us under here anymore,' Sirius implored.

'Sorry, fine,' James said as he scanned their hallway. 'Coast is clear,' he said as he ducked under the cloak with them and they began to move.

'What took you so long?' Peter asked.

James shrugged. 'I'm sure it's nothing, but…'

'…but what?' Remus asked.

'Evans isn't in Potions,' James said.

Sirius chuckled. 'Look at our little stalker. Bless him,' he said.

'Oi, I wasn't stalking!' James said defensively.

'What would you call it, then?' Sirius countered.

James as searching for a reply when he spotted her—Lily was up near the hospital wing. 'Hello,' he muttered to himself.

'Like I said—stalker,' Sirius said, earning a smack from James.

'Where is she?' Remus asked, craning his head over James' shoulder.

'Hospital wing,' James whispered.

'That leaves two options,' Remus said. 'Either she's come down with some affliction, or she's looking for us.'

James' heart skipped a beat. 'Think we should go see her?' he said. 'She seems to be talking to Madam Pomfrey.'

'I'm hungry…' Peter began.

'And it might not be the greatest idea. What if Snape told her a tall tale and she's in a temper?' Sirius asked.

James shrugged. 'She'll need someone to set the record straight. Why not me?'

Remus sighed. 'I suppose there's no stopping him, is there?' he muttered with a resigned look at Sirius. James ducked out from under the cloak, checking the map once again to make sure their route to the hospital wing was clear. Lily was now moving away from the hospital wing, and in the direction of their dormitory.

'Looks like she's coming to us,' James muttered.

Remus grimaced nervously. 'She must be looking for us. She must have heard,' he said.

'Should we be here?' Peter asked with a worried glance.

Sirius snorted. 'What are we going to do? Let Prongs face the music alone?'

'Well—I only mean—shut it,' Peter said defensively.

'Hold up,' James muttered. 'Mischief managed!' he said quickly, pocketing the map as Lily Evans rounded the corner of the hallway up ahead. She stopped short, taking in the sight of James, Sirius, Peter and Remus all standing down the hallway from her. Then her eyes locked on James and she set her jaw.

'I need a word with you,' she said as she walked determinedly towards him.


	23. Confessions and Propositions

A/N: So sorry once again, everyone—this might have been the biggest delay yet! Busy times with work and—more importantly—family. As always, the adventure continues. Thanks for bearing with me.

23

A flurry of thoughts ran through James' mind as he watched Lily approach, her eyes blazing with some indeterminable emotion. She wasn't averse to using violence; indeed, she had taken a swing at James on more than one occasion. At that thought, James found himself unconsciously beginning to step backwards, raising his hands in a defensive posture.

'Uh—Evans—look, give me a moment to explain here—' he began, but she was already right on top of him. He grimaced and squinted his eyes shut, waiting for the inevitable blow of her first. He just hoped that she wouldn't break his nose.

It was with some surprise, then, that rather than the strike of a punch, he felt her arms slide over him and clasp behind his back in a hug. 'Oh, Potter,' he heard her mumble.

He dared to peek one eye open—his vision was filled with her red hair as her face tucked into his chest under her chin. 'I see what's going on here,' he said after a confused moment. 'You've knocked me unconscious, and now I'm daydreaming.'

Lily laughed. 'Don't ruin this,' she said.

James glanced backwards at Sirius, Remus and Peter and fought off the urge to laugh himself. Sirius looked utterly bewildered while Peter still looked terrified. Remus, on the other hand, looked thoughtful.

'Ah…what would I be ruining?' James asked.

Lily stepped back and she was positively beaming at James. 'I really didn't think you had it in you, you know,' she said. 'Not to rise to it, I mean.'

'So I'm gathering that you heard what happened this morning?' James asked.

Lily nodded and she glanced over at Peter. 'Are you alright, Peter?' she asked.

'Yes!' Peter exclaimed in a falsetto tone that betrayed his nervousness. 'Never better!' he added in a squeak, his cheeks flushing red.

'Madam Pomfrey put him right almost immediately,' Remus said.

Sirius was grinning now as he stepped over and cuffed James on the shoulder. 'And you thought she'd go all Homicidal Evans on us,' he said with a grin.

'That might not be a nickname you want to bestow on her while she's right there,' James said with a chuckle and Lily laughed too.

She was looking at him again. 'I really am impressed,' she said.

'So—what exactly did you hear?' James asked.

'Everything,' Lily said with a sigh. 'That you Sev and his friends ambushed you, that he hexed you, you had every chance to fight back after Sirius got the drop on you all but you refused to,' she said.

Sirius did his best to look modest. 'Was there a recounting of how many Slytherins I took out single-handedly?' he asked.

'You certainly didn't take them out with humility,' Remus muttered, earning a snort from Peter.

'The account was very thorough,' Lily said with a smirk.

'So should we expect to be reading Snivelly's obituary in the prophet tomorrow?' Sirius asked excitedly. 'Oh, I wish I'd been there for when you confronted him…'

It was very brief—in fact, only for a moment did her face betray anything—but an odd, closed-off look appeared on Lily's face. James blinked and it was gone. 'There's a lot of talking to do,' Lily said. It didn't escape James that the comment was noncommittal.

'Plenty of time for you to build up into a proper rage,' Sirius said with a grin. 'Anyone else hungry? We were just about to head to the kitchens for some breakfast,' he said, looking around at everyone hopefully.

'You go on ahead,' Lily said. 'If you don't mind, I'd like to borrow Potter for a few minutes,' she said.

'Ahhhh,' Sirius said in a tone that was far too understanding. 'Say no more, m'lady.'

'Get your mind out of the gutter,' Remus admonished as he steered Sirius and Peter away down the hallway. 'Just come on down to the kitchens whenever you're ready,' he added as they left.

James leaned casually against the wall. 'So how bad is the news, then?' he asked once the others were out of earshot.

'What do you mean?' Lily asked.

James chuckled. 'Don't kid a kidder, Evans—you essentially just sent the others away for a private word after very delicately dancing around the subject of your reaction to Snape when confronted with this news,' he said.

Lily sighed. 'Am I that obvious?'

'You also still referred to him as 'Sev',' James pointed out.

Lily looked at the ground. 'He told me,' she said softly.

James blinked. 'Snape told you,' he repeated.

'Yes,' Lily sighed.

James mulled that over. 'What did he say exactly?'

'Everything I just told you,' Lily said as she glanced up at James warily. 'With the added bit that he went crazy after hearing that you kissed me and he lost his mind somewhat.'

James snorted. 'Well, at least he was being honest,' he said. 'But I'm confused. What possible motivation would he have to actually tell you the truth for once? That doesn't add up.'

'He's usually truthful with me,' Lily said somewhat defensively.

'Not when it comes to me,' James said in a slightly exasperated tone. 'We're almost five years into this now, Evans—every single thing he has done to this point has been done to fight with me, to drag me into the mud, to get me in trouble, to get me expelled, to get me thrown into Azkaban,' he added meaningfully. 'I haven't forgotten that nice little piece he did with the Prophet, you know.'

Lily's mouth worked for a moment. 'I know he's done a lot of stupid things…' she began.

'Stupid doesn't begin to cover it,' James muttered. 'So? Hit me with it, Evans. What happens now?'

'He wants to apologize,' Lily said quietly.

James' jaw clenched. 'Does he now,' he said. 'And I gather that you want me to listen.'

'I have no right to ask you, Potter, I know…' Lily began.

James ran a hand through his hair anxiously. 'Well, why should I?' he said. 'Taking into account everything that I just said—and everything that happened this morning…' he trailed off.

'Potter?' Lily asked.

James' mind was working quickly—it had just clicked into place. So easily, so perfectly. He looked at Lily who was looking at him in confusion. 'Evans, how did he say it ended?' he asked.

'What?' she asked.

'How did Snape say the fight ended?' James pressed.

Lily blinked. 'He said that Sirius got the drop on him from behind, and you told him to leave it alone and you left,' she said slowly.

_That scum-sucking, weasly little git, _James thought maliciously. It was a game. Snape had realized that James had gained the upper hand in this mental battle, and he was now waging a battle of his own with this attempt at altruism. It was a desperate effort, James had to admit—a gambit in the face of what would have been a towering temper from Lily. The only thing that could possibly have gotten her to calm down was the proposal of an in-person apology, the appearance that he, Severus Snape, wanted to be the better man…

_You're playing your own mental game now, aren't you, Snivellus, _James thought.

'Potter, what are you thinking?' Lily interrupted. 'I'm not a mind-reader.'

_Tread carefully, here, James, _he thought to himself. He glanced at Lily. 'You really believe that he's being genuine?' James asked.

'Yes,' Lily said.

'What makes you think that?' James asked.

Lily shifted. 'He's never asked to apologize to you in person before,' she said. 'He's always sent me to do it.'

'You mean you've always taken the initiative and done it for him,' James supplied and Lily scowled somewhat. 'Sorry. Old habits. I'm more than a little skeptical here, Evans,' he said.

'I don't blame you,' she said quickly. 'And I'm not ignoring what he's done—but Potter, this is different. I've never seen him like this, so—remorseful,' she said apprehensively.

James was taken aback again. If he'd been asked the previous day if Snape would ever have been able to conceal something from Lily Evans, his answer would have been a flat rejection. Snape's own words about concealing what was in his heart came back to James once again. There was no doubt in James' mind that nothing of what Snape had told Lily was genuine. 'You're asking me to listen to him apologize,' James said.

'Yes,' Lily said slowly. 'I just think—you know what path I think he's going down, Potter. If he can start taking some—some baby steps in the right direction...start making amends for some of the terrible things he's done, maybe it'd be the start of him—well—coming back to the right side,' she said.

James sighed. 'You'll be there?'

Lily hesitated. 'He wanted to see you alone,' she said.

'You'll be there,' James said, amending it to a statement. 'Those are my terms.'

'You want a witness?' Lily said.

'Yes,' James replied. 'I just said old habits die hard. In the event that he _isn't _able to control himself and decides to hex me into next year, I'd like someone to put a stop to it,' he said evenly. The fact that James didn't truly believe that Snape could lie in front of Lily was one that James would just keep to himself for the time being.

Lily pursed her lips. 'Okay,' she said. 'I can do that.' Then she grinned. 'Would it be selfish to say I wish you two could actually start being friends?'

James laughed dryly. 'Don't go hoping for miracles, Evans. You said it yourself—baby steps. Shall we get some food now?'

They began walking together through the castle. 'What are you going to tell Sirius, Remus and Peter?' Lily asked.

'The truth, of course,' James said. 'We don't keep secrets from each other. Really, though, Evans—it's a mark of my affection for you that I'm entertaining this idea. I'm not sure what's more frightening right now; the idea of listening to Snape apologize, or what Sirius' reaction is going to be when he finds out that I've agreed to hear it.'

Lily laughed. 'Remus will be supportive,' she said.

'Of course he will—but that's Remus for you. He's always willing to help people. You could go and stab him with a fork, and he'd tell you how best to do it to inflict maximum damage,' James said, causing Lily to burst out laughing.

'You really think Sirius will be mad?' Lily asked.

'Of course he will,' James said. 'There's been an awful lot of water running between Snape and us with no way to cross it, Evans,' he went on. 'He hasn't just been hexing me, or getting me in trouble, or picking fights with me for the last few years—he's been doing it with Sirius, Remus and Peter as well,' he said. 'And before you say it, no, we haven't been completely innocent in this—but we _have _been trying,' James added.

'I know you have,' Lily said, putting her hand on his shoulder. 'I haven't really said it enough but—I do appreciate it, Potter,' she went on. 'I know it must be frustrating and stupid and maddening to see me keep giving him chances…'

'…it is, a bit,' James said with a smirk.

Lily smiled sadly. 'But now it's your turn to look at this from another side. Imagine Sirius started getting into the Dark Arts; imagine he wanted to be a…a Death Eater…and imagine he was making so many wrong choices. Could you just stand by and let him go? Or would you try to make him see sense?'

James stopped short and looked at Lily. 'There's nothing I wouldn't do for him,' he said quietly. 'He's my best friend. He's my brother.'

'Exactly,' Lily said.

'So you're saying Snape is like your brother?' James asked with a smirk. 'I could really live with that.'

Lily stuck out her tongue at him. 'Har har,' she said.

'It can't have escaped your notice, Evans, how he feels about you,' James said after a moment.

Lily avoided his gaze. 'It hasn't,' she said simply.

James cleared his throat. 'Ah—well—how do you feel about him?' he asked timidly.

Lily glanced at him quickly. 'That's a conversation I have to have with him, before I can have it with you, Potter,' she said cryptically as they arrived outside the portrait of the fruit painting leading to the kitchens.


	24. Suspicions and Sides

24

James hadn't expected Sirius to take the news well, but the outpouring of profanity caught everyone off-guard as he ranted and raved around the kitchen, sending house elves scurrying for cover and sending furtive, judgmental looks in his direction. James had grimaced apologetically at Lily, who seemed resigned to listening to the tirade in its duration.

Sirius did eventually tire himself out in time for them to retreat to the dormitories that day. The next question—posed by Remus, who was predictably supportive and optimistic—was when the in-person apology would take place?

That ended up being a tricky situation which stretched out over the next couple of weeks. It seemed that every time James proposed a time and place to sit down and have a proper conversation, Snape had something pop up. None of this came as a total surprise to James, who still suspected that Snape was being disingenuous about the whole apology.

With Christmas approaching, James found himself again listening to Lily explain that they would have to put off their meeting. 'We can't tomorrow, he and I agreed to meet in the library to study for OWLs,' she said. 'We planned this out weeks ago. And we can't tonight, because we have our first lesson with Professor Zharkov,' she added in an undertone.

They were sitting in the Gryffindor Common Room. Dinner had wrapped up an hour prior, and it seemed that just about everyone had their faces buried in their textbooks. There were a few notable exceptions—James being among them. Lily seemed to be expertly multi-tasking between reading from her chair and conversing with him.

'Come on, Lily, who are you fooling?' Sirius said from where he lay in front of the fire, reading a lurid muggle magazine depicting females in various states of undress. 'We all know you've memorized those books.'

Lily sniffed. 'And how do you know that?'

'You were reading them in the summer while we were planning Operation London Headquarters,' Sirius said dismissively.

James laughed as Lily looked around quickly to make sure no one had heard them. 'Don't say that so loudly!' she hissed.

'Surely you're not ashamed of your wild side?' Sirius asked in a tone of mock concern.

Lily rolled her eyes. 'Tell me then, Mr. Unabashed—does Rowena know you're reading that?' she asked, indicating Sirius' magazine.

'Course she does,' Sirius said, but he shifted uncomfortably.

'Oh really? And what does she have to say about it?' Lily pressed.

Sirius cleared his throat. 'She's fine with it since it's required reading for Muggle Studies,' he said.

'You don't take Muggle Studies,' James pointed out.

'And that is _not_on the practicum for Muggle Studies,' Lily added in a scandalized tone of voice.

Sirius cleared his throat. 'Don't you two have some sort of private lesson to discuss?' he said in a wildly transparent attempt to change the subject. 'Along with Snivelly's myriad of excuses to avoid apologizing to James?'

Lily rolled her eyes. 'Subtle segue, Sirius,' she muttered.

'What _do_you suppose Zharkov wants to show us, though?' James asked. 'I've been wondering this for a while. If it was something OWL or NEWT level, they'd just start teaching most of the students here that, wouldn't they?'

Lily frowned. 'What do you think it is?'

'What does Zharkov have that the other teachers don't?' James pondered as he rubbed his chin. 'We know Flitwick was a champion dueller, so it can't be that he's more prodigiously talented than him,' he said. 'Or Dumbledore for that matter.'

'I can't imagine that Professor Slughorn was the best at anything other than schmoozing,' Lily said under her breath, earning a chuckle from Sirius.

'Experience,' came Remus' tired voice and they glanced over to where he and Peter were pouring over their books. He didn't look up from what he was doing. 'He's been hinting at it all year—that's my guess.'

On that cryptic note, it was time to leave. James, Lily, Frank and Alice walked together through the castle to their Defense classroom where they found Professor Zharkov standing by the window. The previous times they had had private lessons—Madam Bones and Professor Mondego had both offered them—the classroom had been cleared of clutter to give them a wide berth to practice spells and to generally fall about. But nothing was changed in the classroom as far as they could see.

'Good evening,' Zharkov said softly. 'Please, be seated.'

The four of them exchanged curious glances—they had all expected this to be an active lesson.

Zharkov leaned casually on the edge of his desk. Given his impressive height, he still towered over the assembled students. 'You sit here, assembled before me, as perhaps the four most unique individuals in this school,' Zharkov said after a moment. 'I say unique, because—while you possess many talents—you are all quite radically different from one another, and there is no one consistent trait that flows between the four of you that should lend itself to your survival.'

'Thanks, I think?' James asked, earning a snort of laughter from Alice.

Zharkov smiled—an expression that did not reach his eyes. 'Take Mr. Potter here, for example,' he said. 'You have personality traits that could be mistaken for impulsiveness, brashness and arrogance. But they are all fuelled by a lightning-fast intellect that allows you to act almost subconsciously, moving faster than a more inhibited witch or wizard might. This is a trait that—forgive me—is not shared by someone like Ms. Evans here,' he said, turning to indicate Lily. 'You possess an analytical mind—so rather than reacting quickly to a situation as it unfolds, your mind has leapt ahead several paces and you are instead anticipating a set of predetermined variables.'

Lily and James exchanged a surprised glance.

'It is actually you, Ms. Evans, who is most like your adversary in terms of thinking,' Zharkov went on.

'Voldemort,' Frank said.

Lily clearly looked affronted, but Zharkov held up a hand. 'It is not an insult. For his many failings, Voldemort is an incredibly gifted wizard. It is what makes him so dangerous.'

'So you're going to teach us about his mind?' James asked.

'In a manner of speaking,' Zharkov said. 'I alluded to a similarity to Ms. Evans. Voldemort does not duel, so much as he plays wizarding chess at one hundred miles per hour,' he went on dryly. 'In the time that someone like you, Mr. Potter, is reacting to what he is doing in that present moment, he is already twelve steps ahead to where he is killing you.'

Frank furrowed his brow. 'Then why is it that we're all still here?' he said.

'Because you have an advantage that he does not,' Zharkov replied simply. 'What is the commonality between his attacks on the four of you?' he asked.

Lily raised her hand—James smirked. Even though there were only four of them present, she was still obeying he etiquette of the classroom. Zharkov nodded at her. 'He attacked us while we were in pairs,' Lily said.

'Precisely,' Zharkov replied. 'Voldemort acts alone. He does not trust, he does not invite confidence. He prefers to act of his own accord. While it affords him much of the success that he has had, relatively speaking, it is also a distinct advantage to you, as when he fights one versus many, he has to anticipate much more than the actions of just one person.'

'So you're telling us to stick together at all times, in other words?' Frank said, reaching over to squeeze Alice's hand as he did so.

'United you stand, divided you fall,' Zharkov replied.

James cleared his throat. 'What about Rochefort?' he asked.

Zharkov regarded him carefully. 'Rochefort is different,' he said slowly.

'You said you've encountered him in the past…' James pressed, earning some surprised glances from Frank, Alice and Lily.

Zharkov nodded. 'Indeed. Where Voldemort bares a similarity to Ms. Evans' calculating nature, Rochefort bears a resemblance to your own instinctive responses. It is actually an advantage, as it were,' he said slowly.

'How do you mean?' Frank asked.

'Rochefort despises Mr. Potter,' Zharkov said. 'He has become singularly possessed with destroying him. He also has a weakness for theatrics and payoffs to his schemes.'

The word raised an alarm bell in James' head—payoff. That word that Rochefort himself had used in the spring…

'So how does one defeat Rochefort?' Lily asked. 'How does someone kill him?'

Zharkov appraised her. 'Short of using an Unforgiveable Curse,' he said, with the slightest half-glance at James, 'killing Rochefort would likely not be possible. Your best hope would likely be to capture him and have him sent to Azkaban.'

'Capture's not good enough,' Alice said firmly.

Zharkov smiled, again, the expression not reaching his eyes. 'I understand that you wish him dead. I truly do, Ms. Dearborn. But when the time comes for you to perform the deed yourself—to knowingly extinguish the life of another person—no matter how deserving they are of such a fate…a person comes to know more about themselves in that moment than they might be comfortable with,' he added.

James knew in that second that Lily, Alice and Frank were all glancing at him.

The lesson ended shortly thereafter. James took off ahead of the others, but did not bother to go back to the common room. He meandered through the halls until he ended up at the entrance to the kitchens. He entered and sat down heavily, gladly accepting a slice of roast and a flagon of Pumpkin Juice from the House Elves. He stabbed at the roast absently as he sipped the juice.

He was so lost in thought, he didn't notice the portrait hole open. He nearly jumped out of his skin when the hand landed on his shoulder, as he spun to find Lily Evans standing there. She jumped back, her arms raised. 'Merlin's beard,' James muttered as he sat down. 'You gave me a fright, Evans,' he said.

'I wanted to make sure you were alright,' she said slowly, sitting down across from him and waving the elves away as they tried to bring her the same roast and pumpkin juice combination.

James sighed. 'Well, you heard Zharkov,' he muttered. 'What do you think is running through my head right now?'

'Can't you tell me?' Lily asked.

'I guess I came to know more about myself than I was comfortable with,' James said dryly.

Lily frowned. 'What? You think you're weak?' she asked.

'If I wasn't, Rochefort would have died…long before the Aurors did,' James said quietly.

He jumped again when Lily slammed her hand down into the table so hard that the plate he was eating off of rattled. 'Snap out of it, Potter,' she said forcefully. 'It's not weakness to let a thing like Rochefort live. It would be the easiest thing in the world for someone to send him packing for what he'd done,' she said.

James was confused. 'But—' he began.

'No buts!' Lily said fiercely. 'Anyone can carry out an act of revenge. It happens with Muggles all the time—crimes of passion, they call them. Any stupid git can kill someone in a moment of anger. It takes someone with true character, Potter, someone with moral fibre, to resist the temptation. Rochefort is alive today because you are _a good human being_,' she added.

James' mouth opened and closed for a moment. He was dimly aware that his cheeks had become very hot. 'I don't really know what to say to that,' he mumbled, staring down at his plate.

'A simple 'you're right, Evans' would do well in this situation,' Lily said pleasantly.

James laughed in spite of himself. 'I'd like to think you are,' he said.

'That wasn't the only thing that Zharkov said that got to you though, was it?' Lily asked shrewdly. James glanced up in surprise. 'Something else he said already had you thinking,' she pressed.

James chuckled. 'You really are several steps ahead, aren't you?' he mused.

'Talk to me, Potter,' Lily said.

James sighed. 'Zharkov said he'd encountered Rochefort before,' James said. 'I asked him if they'd duelled, and he said no. And up there…up there he echoed something that Rochefort said to me in the spring. About payoffs,' he went on.

Lily blinked. 'I remember you mentioning that,' she said. 'That he said something like the payoff was set to be so sweet…'

'I think it was intentional that Zharkov said that. I think he's heard Rochefort say that before,' James went on. 'It's not as if he's someone that fought against Rochefort, but someone with intimate knowledge of Rochefort.'

Lily glanced at the fireplace beside them. 'How would he come by that?' she asked somewhat rhetorically.

'I'm not sure, but the answer is starting to worry me,' James muttered. 'Almost as much as how quiet it's been for the last few months.'

'You think it's a calm before the storm?' Lily asked.

'I do,' James said. 'With the exception of that night when the Inferi were in Hogsmeade last year, it was all quiet until the Combat Championship when Rochefort put his plan in motion. Now…it's completely dead. I think something's afoot,' he said.

Lily contemplated that. 'Well, we'll be ready for him,' she said. 'Remember our agreement? We kill him together,' she said firmly.

'I thought I was too good a person to do it?' James asked coyly.

'To do it easily, yes' Lily replied just as coyly. 'And that's why you'll need my help.'

James chuckled. 'I thought I was the devil and you were the angel?' he replied. 'You really do have a wild side, Evans.'

Lily smirked. 'Don't tell anyone,' she said.

'I'd never dream of it,' James replied with a smile, feeling much more at ease. 'If this is the one part of you that I get completely to myself, I don't intend to share it any time soon.'


	25. Feelings and Not-Goodbyes

25

The night before the Christmas Holiday Break was set to begin, James sat alone in front of the fire in the Gryffindor Common Room. He knew it was somewhere past two in the morning, but he didn't feel tired at all. Sirius and Peter had passed out hours earlier, and Remus—James was quite sure—was awake under his blankets with his wand reviewing OWL pre-test work.

The last few weeks had flown by with still no resolution on when exactly James and Snape would meet for their 'conversation'. While this wasn't too surprising to James, he was pleasantly surprised by how his relationship with Lily had never been better. They spent a great deal of their time with one another, when she wasn't patrolling or doing homework and he wasn't practicing Quidditch or pretending to do homework.

But James also hadn't pushed his luck. He desperately wanted to be more than friends with Lily, but he also recognized the delicate balancing act she was pulling off with him and Snape. While he reviled Snape with every aspect of his being, he also sympathized all too well with why Lily was so desperate to save him from himself.

But now, on the precipice of everyone splitting up for the holidays, James found himself in a bind. A combination of excitement and dread seemed to hang over the students of Hogwarts—excitement at the tidings and cheer that Christmas usually brought, and dread at the thought that some of the students might not come back after the holiday, either because they were kept home by their families or worse.

James and Sirius were set to return to the Potter House; Remus and Peter would be going to spend time with their families, but would then arrive the day after Christmas. Lily was taking off for North America to be with her parents and sister, who had been in hiding there since the attack on their home the previous year.

_She should be safe over there, _James tried to reassure himself. But even as he did, his own mind began to speak back at him. _But what about you? _He asked himself. _What if Rochefort or Voldemort come for you over the holiday? What if you're killed without ever really telling Evans how you feel?_

James had told Lily he was infatuated with her many times. Anyone with two brain cells to rub together knew that James was crazy about her. But he struggled to recall a time where he had told her _seriously _about it—he had always punctuated whatever he was saying with a roguish grin, or a ruffle of his hair, or a joke, something to make it seem like he _wasn't _laying his heart on the table in front of her for her to either take and cherish, or to crush into a million tiny pieces. He'd been a coward, he had decided.

_I should tell her, _he thought to himself. _No jokes or anything—just lay it all out there for her to hear. But then, what if we both come back safe and sound after holidays and everything is weird? _

He ran a hand through his hair in irritation. 'You're psyching yourself out, James,' he muttered to himself.

'First sign of madness, talking to yourself,' came a soft voice in his ear. It was with great dexterity that James launched out of his chair, turning in mid-air, and with great resistance that he didn't scream loud enough to wake the whole castle. He could ear blood pounding in his eyes as he looked at Lily Evans, who was eyeing him mischievously as she sat down in the comfortable armchair in front of the fire.

James thumped his chest theatrically. 'I've only got one heart, Evans—I'd rather you not make it explode within my chest,' he said.

'Your face was classic,' Lily said with her tinkling laugh. 'I'm gathering you couldn't sleep?'

James sighed as he sat down on the couch across from Lily. 'It's Moony's fault, really,' he said.

'How so?' Lily asked.

'I can hear him thinking from across the room. He's under his blankets, of course—studying for OWLs,' James said dismissively.

'Always the model student,' Lily nodded sagely.

James glanced around. 'What has you awake at this hour?'

'I actually have to leave a little earlier than the rest of you,' Lily said apologetically. 'I have to catch an airplane.'

James frowned. 'Ohhh—is that one of those seven-whatsit-sevens?'

'A seven forty seven,' Lily corrected. 'The kind that you nearly crashed into over London, yes,' she added with a sly smile.

'You mean the kind that I expertly avoided over London,' James said loftily. 'How long does the flight take?'

Lily shrugged. 'About eight to ten hours,' she said.

'That's really long—why not just go by magic?' James asked incredulously.

'Sometimes it's nice to see how the other side lives,' Lily replied with a sigh, but James got the feeling she was holding back.

'Your lovely sister's put her foot down about magic around her, hasn't she?' James asked shrewdly.

Lily glanced at him in surprise. 'Have you been reading my mail?' she asked.

'No,' James answered, 'but you don't have a very good poker face.'

Lily sighed. 'Well, yes, that's the truth,' she said heavily. 'Petunia has decided that if my parents insist on having me—the marked woman—around, that the whole 'I'm a witch' thing should be swept under the rug.'

'That sounds idiotic,' James replied.

'It is,' Lily mused.

'You could always come and stay at my house,' James offered.

Lily snorted. 'That'd go over well with the masses.'

'Masses are overrated,' James said with a grin, a grin he allowed to fade. 'Have you thought about what would happen if something happened to one of us?' he asked suddenly.

Lily glanced at him in alarm. 'I—well—yes,' she said.

James hesitated. 'Have you ever considered what your last words to someone would be?' he went on.

'Where's this coming from?' Lily asked.

James looked at the fire. 'It's just occurring to me that…well…if I don't come back—'

'Shut up, Potter,' Lily said forcefully. 'No one's saying goodbye.'

'But if—' James began.

'No one—is saying—goodbye,' Lily said firmly. 'You're going to stay safe. And I'm going to North America; unless Voldemort or Rochefort fancies travelling a very long way, nothing is going to happen to either of us. So don't say goodbye. Don't tell me anything—because we're going to have time to tell it to each other later.'

James blinked. 'You think so?' he asked.

'I know so,' she said, her green eyes ablaze. 'We've slipped by unscathed for too long to get snuffed out now. You took Rochefort's hand for crying out loud,' she said. 'Mark my words—the next time he meets you, the only sight that magical eye of his is going to see is the fires of hell.'

James laughed in spite of himself. 'That's pretty poetic, Evans,' he said.

'I've thought about it a great deal,' she muttered.

'Me too,' James replied.

'You must be excited to see your parents again,' Lily said, shifting gears.

James sighed. 'Yeah, it feels like a lifetime since we've been there,' he said. 'Pranking Umbridge seems so long ago…' he added with a grin.

Lily chuckled. 'D'you suppose she'll try and get some revenge?'

'Oh, of course she will. She seems like the type to hold a grudge on us, our children, our children's children…'

'Our children?' Lily asked in an odd voice.

James glanced at her. 'I didn't mean—I mean—I didn't mean _our _as in _you _and _me—_I just meant—that is to say—'

'I get it,' Lily said quickly. She looked pensive again.

'Have you met my reindeer, Segue?' James uncomfortably asked after a moment, producing a small, porcelain reindeer with a glowing red nose.

Lily's jaw dropped. 'Segue my foot, that's Rudolph,' she said happily as James handed her the small reindeer. 'You didn't sneak off to a Muggle village again, did you?' she asked threateningly.

James chuckled. 'No, this one was entirely my own design,' James said firmly. Lily looked at him with raised eyebrows. 'I fully intend to get an 'O' on my Transfiguration OWL. You know, to accompany all the other 'O's' I'm going to get,' he added.

Lily laughed. 'You think you're getting a lot of Outstandings, do you?' she said. 'Shouldn't you be up under the blankets with Remus then?'

'How many times do I have to tell you, Evans?' James chided.

'Oh please, not the superior brains speech again…' Lily muttered.

James chuckled. 'I've given it to you so many times, you must have that sucker memorized,' he said. 'Of course…I'm always open to another friendly wager,' he added with a smirk.

Lily cocked an eyebrow. 'You seriously think you're going to get more OWLs than me?'

'Not just OWLs—more Outstanding marks,' James said with a grin.

'Oh you're on,' Lily said. 'You have no idea what you've done here, Potter. I'm going to eat you for breakfast.'

'That's the spirit. And that sounds like a fair wager,' James said.

Lily wrinkled her eyebrow. 'You want me to eat you?'

'No,' James said with a laugh. 'I want us to have breakfast together.'

Lily rolled her eyes. 'Of course. Well, I suppose it's not the worst wager you've suggested,' she muttered.

'What are your terms if you win?' James countered.

Lily contemplated this for a moment. 'Well, now that you and Sev are in a cease fire, it's hard to think of something to make you genuinely uncomfortable…' she said.

'Breakfast makes you uncomfortable?' James asked with a snort.

Lily stuck her tongue out. 'I'll think of something,' she declared. Just then, the portrait hole opened and Professor McGonagall stepped into the Common Room.

'Ah, Ms. Evans—good to see that you're already up,' McGonagall said before she spotted James. 'Mr. Potter; I wasn't aware that you knew this hour of the day existed,' she said in surprise.

James grinned. 'I'd heard so many people talk about it, I just had to see for myself,' he replied.

Lily stood up, laughing as she did so. 'Have a safe Christmas, Potter,' she said.

'Oi,' James replied, standing as well. He grabbed Lily's arm and before she could protest, had pulled her into an embrace. 'You stay safe, alright?' he said. 'Have a Happy Christmas.'

'You too, Potter,' Lily murmured into his chest. They stayed there for a moment, with Professor McGonagall evidently finding a new interest in the carpet patterns on the floor. Then Lily pulled away, slightly pink in the cheeks, and walked straight out of the portrait hole past McGonagall.

'Good morning, Professor,' James said as he headed for the staircase.

'Good morning, Potter,' McGonagall said with the ghost of a smile as she disappeared through the portrait hole after Lily.

James sat there for a long moment, staring after where the two of them had been. 'I thought that went rather well,' came Sirius' voice in his ear, causing James to jump once again. He spun only to find air in front of him.

'What—are you under my cloak?' James hissed, and Sirius appeared in front of him, laughing heartily. 'What are you up to?'

Sirius grinned. 'I got smart, see?' he said excitedly. 'All those times I walked out and ruined a moment between you and Lily—this time I grabbed your cloak, and neither of you was the wiser!' he said.

'So how long were you out here?' James asked incredulously.

Sirius shrugged. 'I don't know—most of the time you two were,' he replied.

James cuffed him hard in the head. 'How about some privacy, you git?' he thundered.

'You didn't need it. Seriously, talking about kids and goodbyes and what not? Very boring,' Sirius said loftily. 'I was hoping for a much better show.'

'Oh, and what do you and Rowena talk about?' James countered.

Sirius blinked innocently. 'Nothing. That's the idea,' he said coyly.

James rolled his eyes. 'You're insufferable,' he muttered as they stepped back into the dormitories. 'You really are.'

'Criticize all you like, but at the end of the day, what would you rather be doing with Evans? Talking about airplanes, or snogging her?' Sirius said cheekily.

James hurled his pillow at Sirius. 'Both,' he mumbled in spite of himself.

Remus' four poster opened, revealing their very tired looking friend. 'Are you two always like this at this hour? People are trying to study,' he mumbled.

'Study? How about sleep?' Sirius countered. Remus made a face at him.

'Happy Holidays, you lot,' James said as he looked out the window in time to see Lily and McGonagall crossing the courtyard towards the gates of the school. 'Let's make sure we all come back after them.'


	26. Comings and Goings

26

'MOM! DAD! WE'RE HOME!'

Sirius' bellow echoed cavernously around the living room of the Potter House. James and Sirius had just arrived via the Floo Network; a sparkling Christmas tree sat in the corner with a generous quantity of presents piled underneath them. Sirius gave an appreciative noise and moved towards them, but seemed to bounce off an invisible shield as he got too close.

'That's close enough,' came a dry chuckle from Mr. Potter as he stepped into the room.

James' happiness at seeing his father was also battling concern at the way he looked. As in the summer, his hair was thinner and his appearance was more gaunt than ever before. This didn't stop Sirius from wrapping him in a bone-crushing hug.

'What is it, an imperturbable charm?' Sirius was laughing.

Mr. Potter chuckled. 'Knowing your weakness for spoiling surprises, I thought it would be a shrewd move,' he said as he stepped over to hug James. 'Welcome home, boys,' he said into James' hair.

'Great to see you, Dad,' James muttered into his father's shoulder as Mrs. Potter shuffled into the room. Sirius roared with delight and wrapped her in a hug so large he lifted her from the ground.

'Merlin's Beard!' she groaned as he placed her down once again. 'Is it possible that you've gotten taller?' she asked.

Sirius grinned. 'With how much more handsome I've become, you're really going to focus on how tall I am?' he asked.

'I suppose I could focus on how modest you are,' Mrs. Potter said with a smile. 'I've just put breakfast on—come in, come in,' she said.

It was as though they had never left; boots filled the hallway, jackets and travelling cloaks were quickly strewn on the floor by the dining table as they sat together, talking and laughing.

'Any news at the Ministry lately?' James asked.

Mr. Potter chuckled as he leaned back in his chair. 'What sort of news are you looking for? Marauder business?' he asked.

Sirius grinned excitedly. 'Is there any?'

'Moody says she's obsessed,' Mr. Potter said as James and Sirius exchanged a high five. 'There's a rumor going around that she has a dartboard on the back of her office door, on which she has a news clipping from the day the Wizengamot cleared you.'

James knew the picture well—it was of the impromptu dog pile that Sirius, Remus and Peter had subjected him to upon hearing that he was cleared, with the words 'UNTOUCHABLE POTTER' dancing over it.

'I'm not sure how wise it was to poke that particular bear…' Mrs. Potter said with a frown.

Sirius snorted. 'On the list of things that James and I have to worry about, she doesn't even crack my top ten,' he said dismissively.

'That hardly makes me feel better,' Mrs. Potter said.

Mr. Potter cleared his throat, sensing it was time to change the subject. 'I hear you have a new woman in your life, Sirius,' he said.

Sirius cast an accusatory look at James who grinned. 'Did you now?' he asked.

'The Goldsteins are a very nice family,' Mr. Potter said with a smile. 'Rowena is quite an exceptional student, from what I hear. You must have lots to discuss.'

Sirius turned beet red, causing James to burst out laughing. 'Yeah, Sirius—go on, regale us with one of the conversations you've had.'

Sirius glared at James. 'I think your parents would enjoy hearing about your conversations with a certain red-head far more,' he said icily.

'Ooooooh, how are things with Lily?' Mrs. Potter asked excitedly.

'Nice deflection,' James muttered as Sirius winked roguishly at him. 'Fine,' he said in an unconvincing tone to his parents.

'More than fine,' Sirius said. 'James planted a kiss on her.'

Mrs. Potter nearly dropped her plate as Mr. Potter reached over and clapped James on the shoulder. 'That's my boy,' he said firmly.

'Clearly the apple falls far from the tree,' Mrs. Potter muttered.

Mr. Potter looked surprised. 'And what would you be talking about?'

'Remember _our _first kiss?' Mrs. Potter asked with raised eyebrows.

'I feel suddenly full,' James said, standing from the table, but he was yanked back down by Sirius who was clearly enjoying himself.

'Well, it depends on what you're counting as a first kiss…' Mr. Potter said in a slightly embarrassed tone.

'The first one,' Mrs. Potter said meaningfully, her eyes becoming slits.

Mr. Potter heaved a great sigh and stared up at the ceiling. 'Mouth to mouth resuscitation does not count as a kiss,' he said in a tired voice.

Sirius and James roared with laughter as Mrs. Potter drew herself up in her seat. 'Fifth year at Hogwarts,' she said properly. 'We were Prefects. Your father—as he was prone to do—had allowed some of his friends to join him in the Prefects' Bath, which when he was around, was more like the Prefects' Swimming Pool,' she said in a clipped voice.

'You're never going to let me live this down…' Mr. Potter murmured as he jammed his fork into his breakfast with malicious intent, earning a snort from Sirius.

'They were having some sort of diving competition when I came in—having just finished _our _rounds _by myself_,' Mrs. Potter went on in an icy tone.

Mr. Potter made a meek noise in self defense that was drowned out by James and Sirius' hollers of laughter.

'Your father ended up knocking himself out cold on the bottom of the bath,' Mrs. Potter said. 'He nearly drowned. And he _would have _had I not been on hand to revive him,' she finished.

Sirius stood and applauded while James raised his eyebrows at his father who looked mortified. 'Sad but true,' Mr. Potter said with a sigh. 'I don't see how that counts as a kiss, though—I was unconscious!' He caught a glare from Mrs. Potter. 'But of course, it was very pleasant to wake up to,' he said hastily.

'Nice recovery,' Sirius said with a chuckle.

'So how did this kiss with Lily occur?' Mr. Potter asked, in a wildly transparent attempt to change the subject.

James laughed. 'You two,' he muttered, pointing at Sirius and Mr. Potter. 'You're both deflecting everything onto me! It was nothing,' he said.

'This is Lily Evans, we're discussing,' Mr. Potter said with a frown. 'The same girl you've been giving cartoon-eyes to for the last five years,' he went on to a burst of laughter from Sirius. 'How is kissing her 'nothing'?'

Sirius grinned. 'It was Lily's _first _kiss,' he went on.

'I see what's going on here—you're trying to kill me. Death by embarrassment,' James muttered as he dropped his head onto the table with a loud thunk.

The breakfast, which felt more like an interrogation, stretched well on past lunchtime. It wasn't until Mrs. Potter began to clean dishes and prepare dinner, that James turned the subject to a more serious note.

'Any news about Voldemort?' he asked his father quietly.

Mr. Potter glanced over to make sure his wife wasn't listening. 'We probably haven't heard much more than you,' he murmured. 'He and his gang are definitely taking pleasure in torturing muggles, but that's about the extent of it right now.'

'How come there hasn't been anything in the Prophet about it?' Sirius asked.

'Because in many respect, the Magical Community is woefully short sighted,' Mr. Potter said quietly. 'What happens to one of us—Magic or Muggle—effects the other, but there's a severe lack of understanding about that.'

James bit his lip. 'Where have these attacks on Muggles been taking place?' he asked.

'Shrewd question,' Mr. Potter said with a faint smile. 'All of them have been in close proximity to prominent Wizarding families. Ours included,' he added after a moment.

James grit his teeth. 'So it's warning shots,' he said.

'Seems that way,' Mr. Potter agreed.

'What about Spinner's End?' James asked after a moment.

Mr. Potter glanced sideways at him. 'Yes, there's been Muggle attacks there…' he said slowly.

'How many?' James pressed.

'Three,' Mr. Potter replied, looking suddenly uncomfortable.

Sirius folded his arms. 'Three different families? Or three attacks in the same place?' he asked.

Mr. Potter sighed. 'You two certainly know the right questions to ask,' he said in a defeated tone. 'Three attacks in the same place. And to answer your _next _question, yes, they've all been in the house that Lily's family used to live in.'

James felt the blood drain from his face as he glanced over at Sirius, who was wearing a mirroring look of shock. 'That has to be a signal,' Sirius said after a moment.

'Maybe,' Mr. Potter interjected. 'But it's also a sign that they don't know where Ms. Evans' family has actually gotten to,' he said gently. 'If they did, they clearly would have gone straight for them.'

James bit his lip. 'Or maybe they were just waiting for Evans to be with them before they made their move,' he said.

'James, I think they're quite safe. Voldemort has very rarely strayed outside of England,' Mr. Potter said firmly.

'Very rarely isn't never…' Sirius said uncertainly.

'Where else has he gone?' James asked his father.

Mr. Potter pursed his lips. 'There were some rumors that he was in Albania a few years ago,' he said. 'But nothing we ever confirmed. Getting information on the man himself is nearly impossible,' he added.

'What about Rochefort? Has he ever been outside of England?' James asked.

'Yes…' Mr. Potter said, shifting in his chair as he did so.

'Then there's a chance he could make his way overseas!' James said fiercely as he leapt to his feet. This drew the attention of his mother.

'What are you all talking about?' she asked suspiciously.

Mr. Potter cast a warning glance at the boys. 'Christmas shopping,' Sirius said suddenly. 'We have a few more odds and ends to get.'

'Oh, good,' Mrs. Potter said as she flicked her wand and her purse came floating across the room. 'There's some things I'd love for you to pick up too, if you're going to be out and about,' she said as she pulled several galleons, knuts and sickles out of it. 'A few loaves of bread—only if its fresh…' she droned on for a few moments while James half-heartedly pretended to listen. It wasn't until he and Sirius were out the door with their jackets on that they turned to each other.

'You thinking what I'm thinking?' James said.

Sirius cocked an eyebrow. 'There's enough gas in the bike to get to Spinner's End,' he said.

'Brilliant. Let's move quickly,' James said and they went to the garage as silently as possible. Sirius pulled his knife from his pocket and picked the lock with ease, permitting them entry. 'Lumos,' James muttered, casting light over the bike—

—and Mr. Potter.

'Going somewhere?' he asked nonchalantly as James and Sirius stood there looking dumbfounded.

'I—er—just missed my bike, wanted to see it—' Sirius began.

Mr. Potter sighed. 'You're talking to the man who raised James, Sirius,' he said as he leaned against the wall. 'So what was your plan then?' he asked. 'Go to Spinner's End, find your way to Ms. Evans' house…?'

'He really does know us too well,' James muttered and Sirius snorted.

Mr. Potter's eyes blazed. 'Did it occur to you how dangerous that might be?' he asked.

'Yes,' James said stiffly.

'I think we ought to go back inside,' Mr. Potter said firmly.

'No,' James replied.

'This isn't a discussion, James,' Mr. Potter said, a warning in his tone.

'You're right, it isn't,' James shot back. 'You know me, Dad—if you make us go back in that house, you know that the second you close your eyes for the night, Sirius and I will be gone anyway.'

Sirius looked uncomfortably between the two Potters who were glaring at each other, neither flinching under the other's gaze. Mr. Potter seemed to deliberate something and then he stepped forward, his own wand in his hand. 'Each of you grab an arm,' he said quietly.

'Come again?' Sirius asked.

'You're right that I can't stop you from putting your lives in danger,' Mr. Potter said. 'But I'm not letting you do it alone. So if you want to go, I'm coming with you. And before you object, James, the alternative is that I confiscate both your wands and put a sticking charm on you to keep you in your beds tonight,' he said. 'Do we have an accord?'

James and Sirius exchanged a glance and nodded. 'Yes,' James said.

Mr. Potter sighed. 'Make sure you've got a good grip on your mother's shopping list. If she finds out what we're really up to, Rochefort and Voldemort will be the least of our worries,' he said heavily as the boys grabbed his arms and felt the uncomfortable squeezing sensation of apparating over take them.


	27. Frying pans and Fires

A/N:

I apologize profusely for the massive delay in writing. To those of you who expressed concern, you have my thanks. The last few months have been, for the most part, very busy—but almost entirely in good ways. We are expecting our second child in one month's time, and thus things at my work have been very busy in preparation for that. This is a passion of mine, but ultimately it is a priority I need to rank below my family and work when those items become pressing. As always, I still intend to write – it might take me a while between chapters, but I will get to it. To the devoted readers who have been waiting so patiently with zero word from me, you have my thanks and my appreciation.

For the individual who was – shall we say – less than pleasant in conveying their feelings about my writing stoppage via review, I would like to say, thank you for your input. However, may I suggest that reviews henceforth be posted by those with brains larger than a grape?

I would be appreciative.

And now, on with the story…

27

Cool evening air filled James' lungs as he came out of the uncomfortable apparating sensation. It took his eyes a moment to adjust, as it seemed brighter than the surroundings he had just left in Godric's Hollow. It took him a moment to realize that this was due to a series of towering lantern-like contraptions lining the street.

'What are those?' James whispered.

'Street lamps. Muggle lighting devices,' Sirius said. At a surprised glance from Mr. Potter, he grinned. 'I take Muggle Studies.'

Mr. Potter snorted. 'And I have a bridge to sell you,' he murmured. 'Wands out,' he said automatically, but it was an unnecessary command – James and Sirius already had their wands in hand. 'Now you two need to listen. You've been in some messy situations, so I'm confident in your abilities—but the thing you need to get into your head is that I am in charge. You follow my orders when I give them and without hesitation, and no matter what they might be. Do you understand?'

'Yes, sir,' James and Sirius said in unison.

Mr. Potter took off his glasses and rubbed them quickly on his shirt before replacing them. 'Stay put for a moment,' he said and—with a speed and grace quicker than James would have thought possible—he disappeared into a series of trees lining the side of the cobbled stone road.

'Think there's any Death Eaters about?' Sirius murmured.

James cast his gaze around. The street was quiet and silent. 'Seems calm,' he said after a moment. 'But almost like the calm before the storm.'

'A simple 'yes' would suffice,' Sirius muttered as he shifted anxiously on his feet.

'Not scared, are you?' James said with a grin.

Sirius snorted. 'Merlin's beard, no,' he said. 'I just prefer a straight up fight to sneaking around, is all,' he said.

'Glad to hear it,' came Mr. Potter's voice from directly behind them, causing both James and Sirius to jump and turn around to see him.

'I'll send you my dry-cleaning bill,' Sirius said icily to Mr. Potter who simply smiled benignly in response.

'What's the situation?' James said earnestly.

Mr. Potter nodded in the northern direction of the road. 'Ms. Evans' old house is just up the street. There's a little party of Death Eaters preparing in the trees directly across the road. I counted six of them.'

'Anyone we'd recognize?' James asked.

'They were all in masks, couldn't tell,' he said. 'Alright, you two. Go for a walk.'

James and Sirius exchanged a confused look. 'Come again?' Sirius asked.

'I want you two to go for a walk up the street,' Mr. Potter said, gesturing for emphasis. 'Quickly, now, they could move at any moment.'

And without waiting for question, Mr. Potter dashed off once again.

'…you sure he's not mental?' Sirius asked, now no longer trying to keep nervousness from his tone.

James shrugged. 'Well, one way to find out,' he said and he set off at a brisk walk down the middle of the street.

'Would make things better if we weren't so bloody exposed,' Sirius muttered from his side. 'I mean—I'm not worried about me, mind you,' he added.

James smirked. 'Got my best interests at heart, do you?'

'Untouchable Potter and all,' Sirius said sagely. 'You're the hot target. Chances are they'd shoot first and ask questions after everyone's dead,' he said flatly.

'I'd like to think they'd ask at least a question or two,' James replied cheerfully. 'How did you get so devilishly good looking, for starters?'

Sirius snorted. 'Keep telling yourself that,' he said.

James opened his mouth to reply when he was suddenly shoved hard down to the pavement. Sirius had lunged into him, knocking him to the ground, and he joined James on the deck in a moment.

'Protego!' James called instinctively, and the sound of spells thudding into his shield charm met his ears.

'Stupefy!' Sirius shouted as he leapt back to his feet, hauling James up with him as they moved behind a muggle vehicle for cover.

James lunged out from behind the back of the car and was prepared to cast a spell at a Death Eater, when a spell took the man from behind, crumpling him to the ground. A flash in the trees told James what he needed to know—Mr. Potter was there.

'Expelliarmus!' Sirius roared from the other end of the car, and James saw another Death Eater deflect the spell.

'Incendio!' screamed the man, and a ball of roaring energy slammed into the muggle vehicle, causing its glass windows to shatter. James was knocked back onto the pavement once again by the force of the blast, but he was back on his feet in an instant. He saw the Death Eater taking aim at Sirius, when a spell soared out of the trees once more and claimed him. Mr. Potter had bagged his second Death Eater.

'Petrificus Totalus!' Sirius shouted, and barely a second later, James called 'Impedimenta!'. The two spells soared towards a Death Eater, who managed to deflect the first one but was struck by the second, sending him crumpling to the ground. Another leapt up to take his place but a spell soared out of the trees, and Mr. Potter claimed his third.

'There's another one!' shouted one of the Death Eaters. 'Behind us!'

James saw two of the Death Eaters turn to face the trees and he seized his opportunity. Leaping out from behind the car for a clear shot, he hollered 'Stupefy!' and the red bolt of energy soared across the street. The Death Eater turned at the last moment, just in time to catch the spell full in his face, launching him into the air where he cartwheeled to a stop.

The last Death Eater realized he was caught in a pincer – he tried to dive for cover as Sirius fired a quick volley of spells at him, but Mr. Potter emerged from the trees and cast a stunning spell directly into his back, crippling him.

Just like that, the street was once again silent. James cast his gaze around—there were lights on in the windows of the muggle houses, and he could see people pressed up against the windows.

'We might want to make ourselves scarce here,' Sirius suggested.

'Nice work, boys,' Mr. Potter said as he strode back across the street towards them, pocketing his wand. 'I'll get you back to Godric's Hollow and contact the Ministry to round up this lot…'

James held up a hand. 'You said there were six,' he said.

'I did,' Mr. Potter said, looking back at the bodies across the road.

'We hit five,' James replied slowly, spinning around to survey the darkness.

'Very good, Potter, you can count,' came a drawling voice from across the road. James, Sirius and Mr. Potter whipped their wands up to attack, but the owner of the voice—Lucius Malfoy—was not alone. He was flanked by several more Death Eaters, all of whom were brandishing their wands and looking threatening. 'It's always mystified me how someone as brainless as yourself has managed to stay one step ahead of some of the Dark Lord's finest for as long as you have,' he said.

James grinned. 'Well, you know what they say about people in glass houses, Malfoy,' he said.

'If you're entertaining the notion of fleeing, there's an anti-apparition jinx over this neighbourhood,' Malfoy drawled. 'But believe me when I say, this is a most unexpected pleasantry. We anticipated snaring an Auror or two in this little trap. Little did we realize that you would wander into our midst.'

'Unfortunately for you, Malfoy, you're not important enough to warrant an Auror,' Mr. Potter said calmly.

'Ah, and you would be Untouchable Potter's father. It's clear to see where he gets his inflated sense of overconfidence,' Malfoy said. 'You are outmanned and outgunned.'

'And yet you haven't cast a single spell,' Mr. Potter said evenly. 'So why don't you drop the 'intimidating bad guy' act and tell me what you're waiting for?'

'How dare—' Lucius began angrily.

'You're a low level peon, Malfoy,' Mr. Potter said coldly. 'You're not _allowed _to move without instructions from your master.'

Sirius laughed loudly at this as the Death Eaters stirred behind Malfoy, who had turned a deep shade of red and was clearly fuming.

'You've also overplayed your hand,' Mr. Potter said. 'The Ministry and the Aurors have never paid muggle torture any mind, much to their own detriment. So it's wildly transparent that that's not your reason for being here…'

'Enough!' Malfoy shouted. 'Take their wands,' he instructed the Death Eaters on either side of him.

'Over our dead bodies,' Mr. Potter said. 'Boys, _now!'_

'STUPEFY!' James and Sirius shouted in unison. They didn't wait to see what happened. Sirius grabbed James' arm, and Mr. Potter grabbed James' other arm. He dragged them both into the gap between two muggle houses and ran.

'Protego!' James called, summoning a shield charm into being behind them as the Death Eaters gave chase.

'Where do we go?' Sirius hissed.

'We need to get into Ms. Evans' old house,' Mr. Potter said. 'Get to a fireplace.'

'Are Muggle houses connected to the Floo Network?' Sirius asked.

'Evans is a witch,' James said.

'The Ministry had her house connected when it became clear she was a target,' Mr. Potter said as he bolted into another back yard. A death eater rounded the corner of a fence in front of them. He cast a spell at Mr. Potter which he deflected deftly, before casting a spell so fast that the Death Eater could barely blink before it struck him in the face.

'Will it still be connected?' Sirius asked.

'Hopefully someone was lazy,' Mr. Potter said flatly as they ran.

'How far?' James asked urgently as a Death Eater appeared on the roof of one of the houses. James hurled a disarming spell at the base of the ground in front of him, causing the roof shingles to slide and the death eater along with them. He gave a cry as his wand fell out of his hand and he went rocketing off the edge of the roof, falling to the ground with a loud crunch.

'In here!' Mr. Potter said sprinting towards the back door of a small house. 'Find the fireplace as quickly as you can!' he ordered as he kicked in the door and braced himself in its frame. 'Take this,' he added as he handed James a pouch. 'Ministry of Magic, Department of Magical Law Enforcement. That's where you're going.'

'What about you?' James said.

'I'll be right behind you,' Mr. Potter said firmly. 'Now go!' he added as he cast a shield charm, repelling a volley of spells from two Death Eaters.

'Come on, Prongs!' Sirius shouted and they began tearing around the living room. A fleeting, absurd thought entered James' head that they were now inside Lily Evans' childhood home, but he pushed that from his mind as he frantically looked around.

'There!' James said pointing. They moved towards the fireplace when the window leading to the front yard exploded inward, admitting a massive, hulking Death Eater.

'Get the fire going!' Sirius roared as he planted himself between James and the Death Eater. His wand flashed as he and the massive man began to duel.

James quickly ran to the fire and dumped the powder into it, emitting a large green flame. 'DAD!' he called towards the back door as he fired two random stunning spells at the Death Eater that Sirius was battling. One of the spells caught the death eater in the torso, doubling him over.

Mr. Potter entered the room, a blitz of spells hurtling along behind him and pelting the walls. 'GO!' he shouted.

'Ministry of Magic, Department of Magical Law Enforcement!' Sirius shouted, hauling James into the flames alongside of him.

James reached his arm out for his father as the world began to spin. A bright flash burst in front of his eyes as he felt Mr. Potter's hand clasp in his own. James' world became a blur before he found himself spinning out onto the floor of an office in the Ministry of Magic.

'What in the—' came a voice from in front of them. The sound of the voice sent an immediate shiver up James' spine, and he didn't even need to hear his father's pleasantry to know who it was.

'Why hello, Dolores,' Mr. Potter said as James looked up to see Dolores Umbridge sitting at her desk in front of them, a look of mingled horror and fury on her face. 'Sorry to barge in,' Mr. Potter said as he shot a nervous smile at his son.


	28. Intelligence and Suspicions

A/N: A few people have asked if the comment at the head of my last chapter was directed at them. The answer is no—I have no qualms reading criticisms of my work. But there was a nasty review left by an individual who does not have an account, in which they attacked me as an individual for not updating the story, and thusly I deleted the review. That individual has since returned, however, to inform me that they are not stupid, and are in advanced classes—that is splendid news, although I must say, I didn't realize they offered advanced classes in primary school.

28

There was a brief moment were no one said or did anything. James' mind was reeling—from the frantic flight of their battle with the Death Eaters to the middle of Dolores Umbridge's office, he wasn't sure which one he would have picked if given the option.

'Sorry to barge in on you, Dolores. I'm afraid I have urgent business with the Minister,' Mr. Potter carried on in his smooth voice. Umbridge, however, ignored him—from the moment that they had arrived in the office, her eyes had been fixed squarely upon James. He was now noticing a rather unsightly vein bulging in her forehead. After a moment of this, Mr. Potter cleared his throat, drawing Umbridge's gaze to himself. 'Now,' he added in a stern tone.

Umbridge now took in Mr. Potter—he was pale, sweating and his clothes were singed in a few spots. 'What has happened to the three of you, Mr. Potter? And how did you come to enter my office through a dormant Floo Network opening?' These were not so much questions as they were demands.

'Stories for another day,' Mr. Potter said in a nonchalant tone, tapping James and Sirius on the shoulders to usher them to the door.

Umbridge was turning red. 'I am an official with the Ministry of Magic, Potter, and I demand an explanation!'

'And I wager you will get one, before the night is out,' Mr. Potter said as he grasped the door handle. His eyes locked on a newspaper article pinned to it—it had scorch and pinhole marks all over it, but James had no trouble recognizing the front page of the Daily Prophet from the day he had been cleared by the Wizengamot. The title, which he knew to be 'UNTOUCHABLE POTTER GOES FREE', was almost completely obliterated.

Mr. Potter shot James a warning glance, but James had already turned to face Umbridge, who was once again glaring at him. He casually glanced around the office. 'This is a very nice office, ma'am,' he said. 'I like what you've done with it.'

'And that's enough of that,' Mr. Potter said.

Sirius smiled and whistled a familiar tune—the tune to the song 'Help'. Umbridge's eyes flashed and suddenly, the door to her office slammed shut in front of them.

Mr. Potter sighed as they walked briskly down the hall. 'One of these days, boys, you and I are going to have a conversation about the appropriate times to pick your battles.'

'Are we going to see the Minister?' James asked.

'If she's here, but first thing's first…' Mr. Potter said as they stopped outside a door. He had raised his hand to knock when it opened, revealing the gnarled, twisted—but none too surprised—face of Alastor Moody.

'Potter,' he growled with his cracked, menacing grin. 'Thought I heard your dulcet tones.'

Mr. Potter clapped him on the shoulder. 'I need you to get word to Dumbledore,' he said in a low voice. 'There's a muggle rampaging party in—'

'—Spinner's End?' Moody finished.

James and Sirius exchanged a look of confusion. Mr. Potter blinked. 'I—well, yes,' he said slowly. 'How did you know?'

'You'd best follow me,' Moody said with a dry croak of a laugh as he stepped out of his office and lead them down the hallway. 'Thought you'd do our jobs for us, now, did you?' he asked.

Mr. Potter laughed dryly. 'You've met my son, haven't you?' he asked. 'He's quite persuasive.'

'Yes, I can see that,' Moody asked. 'How did the three of you get here?'

'Floo network,' Sirius supplied quickly.

Moody made a thoughtful face. 'That wasn't the best option, but I suppose it did the trick. But that would have put you directly in…'

'…Umbridge's office, yes,' James now chimed in.

Moody chuckled darkly. 'Oh, she must have loved that. What shade of red did our delightful cohort turn?'

'She was nearing puce,' Mr. Potter replied. 'But I really didn't want to have to poke that particular bear this evening.'

They arrived at an office at the end of the hall and Moody knocked sharply. James barely registered the name on the door—'BARTEMIUS CROUCH, HEAD OF THE DEPARTMENT OF MAGICAL LAW ENFORCEMENT', before it opened. But it wasn't Crouch that answered—but Albus Dumbledore.

James and Sirius' jaws dropped in shock. Mr. Potter blinked once, but looked otherwise unperturbed by the revelation that Dumbledore was already there. 'Good evening, Professor Dumbledore,' Mr. Potter said, offering his hand.

'Mr. Potter. It has been far too long since I have had the pleasure,' Dumbledore said. 'I'm gathering it will be good manners to invite him in, Bartemius?'

'Of course,' came the curt voice of Mr. Crouch. James, Sirius, Mr. Potter and Moody stepped into the office, which appeared to be a veritable war room. Drawings and maps adorned the walls, the air was thick with smoke from a cigar which Mr. Crouch was holding in his hand, and he was not the only person in the room—Madam Bones was there as well, and she let out a short, booming laugh upon seeing the three of them. 'An explanation, perhaps?' Crouch asked, eyeing Moody.

Moody shrugged. 'I was waiting until we were all together, myself,' he said, leaning back with an expression of someone who was waiting to enjoy a show.

'Well, then,' Crouch said, eyeing Mr. Potter. 'How did the three of you come to be here?'

'It was my doing,' James said firmly.

'Oh, come on, don't take all the credit,' Sirius muttered.

'What you did was fool-hardy and incredibly dangerous,' Crouch cut in.

Sirius shifted. 'Okay, he can have most of the credit…' he said sheepishly.

'I heard that there had been numerous attacks on the Muggle family living where Lil—where the Evans family used to be before they relocated. I figured that the attackers would be there again today since all the Hogwarts students were out of school. I talked my Dad into taking us there to check things out.'

Dumbledore smiled slightly. 'And upon arriving, you discovered?'

'A small group of Death Eaters—six of them, Lucius Malfoy was in charge. We dealt with them, but then he called in reinforcements. It seemed to be an ambush,' Mr. Potter said.

Crouch put his cigar in his mouth and turned to the wall. Bones glanced at James and then at Crouch. 'That's confirmation, Barty,' she said.

'Madam Bones…' Crouch began in a slightly testy tone.

'Don't pull that with me,' Bones said in a steely voice. 'This is confirmation of exactly what Dumbedore suspected.'

'Perhaps this isn't the time to discuss it,' Crouch said somewhat uncomfortably.

Dumbledore cleared his throat. 'The three of them can be trusted with this information,' he said.

Crouch glanced at Dumbledore and—for a moment—was silent. Then he nodded. 'As you wish,' he said at last.

Dumbledore turned to face them. 'We were aware there would be a group in Spinner's End tonight,' he said. 'As we had been made aware of the previous attacks. Motions were put in place for us to intervene.'

'But…?' Mr. Potter asked.

'…but, it was to be an ambush.'

'Of who? Surely, they couldn't have expected us to show up,' Sirius said with a frown.

'Oh heaven's, no. They were hoping to catch me,' Dumbledore said simply.

James and Sirius—for the second time in as many minutes—were wearing mirrored looks of shock. 'They what?'

'It's been coming for a while,' Bones said heavily. 'Ever since Dumbledore and Voldemort had their set-to in Godric's Hollow. Voldemort feels…threatened by Dumbledore.'

'Rightly so,' James muttered. Dumbledore's eyes twinkled.

'So it was a trap, then,' Mr. Potter said. 'They were hoping to lure Dumbledore out into the open.'

'Precisely,' Dumbledore replied.

James had a thought. 'So what happens to the muggles, then? Are we just leaving them there to the mercy of the Death Eaters?'

'Not at all,' Dumbledore said. 'The muggles in the immediate vicinity were all the happy recipients of a prize draw for a luxury vacation. A cruise, if I am not mistaken, of the Baltic Sea—truly a lovely area, I really must go sooner rather than later—but I am rambling.'

'So how did you intend to determine the veracity of this information if no one was going to show up?' Mr. Potter asked.

'Someone was there,' Bones said. 'Is, more like.'

'Who?' Sirius asked.

'Mundungus Fletcher,' Bones replied.

Mr. Potter sighed and wiped his brow. 'Stressful times make for strange bedfellows, I suppose,' he muttered.

'Elegantly phrased,' Dumbledore said with an incline of his head.

'Well. Now that we have established that everything is as it should be, perhaps we should focus on getting these three home,' Crouch said in an altogether softer voice than before. 'We have a lot of things to discuss.'

'I have one question,' Madam Bones said. 'How is it that the three of you managed to get from Spinner's End to here?'

'We used the Floo Network attached to Lily Evans' old house,' Mr. Potter said.

Crouch and Bones traded a glance. 'Ah. I see,' Crouch said, chomping on his cigar for a moment. 'Well, it was about time for me to check in with Dolores as it was, so now's as good a time as any, I suppose,' he said. There was a bit of reluctance in his tone, but the smirk on Bones' face was a dead giveaway.

'Sorry to barge in,' Mr. Potter said.

'Not at all, Mr. Potter,' Dumbledore said, although he now tilted his head down to gaze at Mr. Potter over the top of his half-moon spectacles. 'Are you quite alright?'

James glanced at his father—he did look rather pale. 'Just a rather lot of excitement, I think,' Mr. Potter said with a bracing smile. 'I'd like to get home and have a wash.'

Dumbledore chuckled. 'Travel safely,' he said with a smile. And with that, James, Sirius and Mr. Potter left the office, with Alastor Moody in tow.

'Recognize any of the Death Eaters?' Moody asked.

'Lucius Malfoy,' Sirius said aggressively. 'He was definitely their ring leader.'

Moody snorted. 'His father's been having a go with Minister Bagnold,' he said quietly. 'Seems to be trying to put out the story that Lucius is under the Imperius Curse—not acting himself.'

Now it was James' turn to snort. 'Must have had it placed upon him before he was born—this is the way he's been his whole life.'

'You're preaching to the choir,' Moody said with a dark laugh. 'I don't think old Abraxas is getting much traction with the Minister. But it's all politics…'

Mr. Potter nodded. 'He does give a lot of money to the Ministry,' he said.

'Yeah, don't try to tell me that money wouldn't start going directly to You Know Who if it looked like he was going to take over completely,' Moody said.

Mr. Potter groaned as they arrived back in the main atrium of the Ministry. 'You're not seriously one of the people who's going to stop saying his name, are you?'

'Orders,' Moody growled. 'From the Minister. Apparently, some intern went into an absolute fit when the name was mentioned—Bagnold seems to think it could actually be harmful, so she's…discouraging its use.'

'Hm,' Mr. Potter said. 'Well, thanks for the escort, Alastor—and the update.'

'Mr. Moody,' James said suddenly. 'Has there been any update on Gilles Rochefort?' he asked.

Moody fixed his one-eyed gaze on James. 'Gone to ground, it seems,' he said. 'Haven't heard a damn thing about him in weeks.'

'Is Fletcher your source on that?' Sirius asked.

Moody chuckled. 'No, Fletcher got outted pretty hard last spring—we have some different sources. But still…it isn't like Rochefort to be quiet for this long.'

'Any suspicions?' James pressed.

'You think like your father,' Moody said with a lopsided grin. 'I have many suspicions, Potter. But that's all they are. Regardless, you'd do well to be careful—I'd tell you to stay out of trouble, but seeing as you managed to get Potter Sr. here to go with you on this latest fool's errand…I'd say it's a false hope.'

Mr. Potter smiled. 'Thanks again, Alastor,' he said sarcastically.

'Don't forget your shopping list,' Moody said meaningfully with a glance at James, causing Mr. Potter to laugh.

'How did he know we needed to get groceries before going back home to Mum?' James asked as he and Sirius grabbed his father's arms to apparate.

Mr. Potter shook his head. 'He's got a great mind for detective work,' he said.

'You should have asked him what his suspicion about Rochefort was, then,' Sirius lamented.

James looked at the ground. 'I think I already know what it is,' he said as he felt the squeezing sensation and they apparated once more.


	29. Sojourns and Marks

29

'Prongs, will you stop worrying already? Here, have a biscuit.'

Sirius shoved a Christmas cookie under James' nose, prompting the latter to bat it away irritably as he stared out the window of his bedroom at the cobbled stone roads of Godric's Hollow. Christmas had come and gone, and Remus and Peter had even arrived—but none of this served to lift James' mood very much.

Ever since their run-in with the Death Eaters, James had been unable to shake the nagging feeling that Rochefort was pursuing Lily to North America. Confiding that in his friends had yielded a non-stop barrage of encouragements to do exactly nothing, which wasn't sitting well with him.

'Alright,' Remus said with a heavy sigh as he marked the page in his textbook he was reading—Difficulte Potions Designed to Confuse—and closing it. 'Let's hear this again. What is it you think you should be doing?'

Sirius threw up his arms. 'Here I am, trying to change the subject—' he began.

'I think we should do _something_,' James cut in furiously.

'Such as?' Remus asked.

'Anything! Anything is better than sitting around here with our thumbs up our—' but he cut himself off as the sound of Mrs. Potter's whistling down the hallway greeted their ears. 'Anything,' James added in a slightly more hushed tone as the whistling receded.

Remus glanced out the window. 'Name something,' he said. 'What is something that could be done?'

'We could go to North America,' James said readily.

'We could,' Remus said, ignoring the alarmed glances from Sirius and Peter that followed that statement. 'It wouldn't take long. Getting there, in fact, would be easy. But where in North America is she located?'

James opened his mouth to answer and then closed it again. The truth was he did not know—none of them did.

'Their location is secret, James,' Remus said softly. 'It's secret to protect them.'

'We could send her post then,' James said, changing tracks. 'Warn her that Rochefort may be after her.'

Remus again seemed to weigh his words carefully. 'If they're looking for Lily, then they are undoubtedly watching you as well,' he said.

'So?' James replied.

'So,' Remus said in his maddeningly calm voice, 'if you send her post, you would be leading the Death Eaters directly to her.'

Agitated, James ran a hand through his hair. 'You're supposed to be helping, Moony,' he said angrily.

'I am,' Remus replied. 'I'm helping you to _not _get yourself or Lily killed.'

James sat down heavily in a chair facing the window, burying his face in his hands. 'It just feels so useless sitting here,' he muttered.

'I don't disagree with you,' Remus said as he stood up and dragged a chair over to sit next to him. 'But there's not really much else to be done. We just need to wait until we all board the train back to Hogwarts—when Lily shows up, it will seem like no time has passed at all.'

'I'm really looking forward to the train,' Sirius said in another wildly transparent attempt to change the subject. 'Maybe the Slytherins will be spoiling for a rumble.'

'You've already got detention when you're back, thanks to that whole cauldron-evaporating thing,' Peter pointed out. The incident in question had occurred the day before Christmas break—Professor Slughorn had asked Sirius to bring all the cauldrons to the front of the class for cleaning. Sirius had attempted to do it all by magic, and had instead accidentally vanished the cauldrons, spilling their contents all over the floor.

'So what's a little more, then?' Sirius asked coyly.

Remus shook his head with a small smile. 'I think that over the course of your Hogwarts career, you've spent more time in detention than out, Padfoot,' he said.

'If you're not getting detention, you're not having fun,' Sirius declared.

'How poetic,' Remus sighed. 'I don't suppose one of you wants to quiz me on potions?'

Sirius snorted. 'I know all that rubbish.'

'I'll quiz you,' Peter offered and they went off to the corner of the room to do just that. Sirius took up the chair next to James and looked at him.

James looked back. 'What?' he asked.

'Don't be hostile with me, young man,' Sirius said in a perfect imitation of Mr. Potter's voice. 'Come on; I hate seeing you blue. We should do something fun. We could go fly?'

'Correction – we can't do that, because Mom forbade it after our little trip,' James pointed out.

'Oh yeah…' Sirius trailed off. The three of them had lasted all of five seconds under Mrs. Potter's withering glare before they had spilt the beans on the entire story—their trip to Spinner's End, meeting the Death Eaters, their escape, crashing into Umbridge's office…everything. Mrs. Potter had been fairly restrained in front of James and Sirius, but her shouts at Mr. Potter had echoed through the house once they'd gone to their rooms. The following morning, Mrs. Potter had informed them that jinxes of unspeakably horrible nature had been placed on James' broom and Sirius' bike, and they were to be used at their own mortal peril.

'I'm sure she'd let us fly around the house or something,' Sirius said after a moment.

'Yeah, because that'd be fun,' James mumbled.

Sirius cocked an eyebrow. 'Well – Padfoot and Prongs could always go out on the prowl,' he suggested.

James looked up. He could see Remus and Peter had looked up from their spot, too. 'And go where?' James asked.

'I don't know. Haven't seen Rowena in a while, if you know what I mean,' Sirius said with a mischievous grin.

'I know all too well what you mean,' James said as he rolled his eyes theatrically. 'But getting out and stretching my legs wouldn't hurt. Fair warning, though—I'm out of there the minute you two start sucking face.'

'Deal,' Sirius said with a broad grin.

'I think I'll stay and help Moony study,' Peter said.

Remus frowned. 'Your mother likely wouldn't approve of you leaving…' he trailed off.

'She specifically said no flying or apparating. There were no instructions made about becoming an Animagus,' James said with a grin.

Now it was Remus' turn to roll his eyes. 'If she knew you could become one, she might have specified that,' he said.

'What she doesn't know won't hurt her,' James declared.

Remus sighed. 'And where are we to say you've gone if she comes and calls?'

'Tell her we went to get some ice cream,' James replied.

'One of these days, we're going to have a discussion on the merits of me constantly lying on your behalf,' Remus muttered.

'Okay, Mum,' Sirius said with a grin.

The two of them exited James' room and headed downstairs. Neither Mr. nor Mrs. Potter was near the entry way, so they both slipped outside and began walking towards the trees surrounding the sleepy village.

'We should just transform now,' Sirius muttered.

'Great idea, Padfoot. In plain sight of everyone—you know how to keep a secret.'

Sirius laughed. 'Come on—isn't it a bit of a thrill?'

'It is,' James admitted. 'But I'd still like to play it safe. If only because Mum is still steamed about the other night,' he said.

'Fair enough,' Sirius chuckled as they reached the trees. 'Well then—off we go!'

Sirius leapt into the air and seamlessly transformed into the large black dog. James grinned and suddenly he was Prongs, joining Padfoot as they sprinted off through the forest. It felt natural to run and sprint; indeed, in his form as Prongs, James found himself able to keep up the pace easily, whereas he would have been laboring after a few hundred yards in his human form.

He wasn't even entirely sure where they were going, but Padfoot seemed to know the way – following streams and cutting across shallow spots, running down steep ravines and up the other side—they passed abundant wildlife as they did so, other animals stopping and looking on in curiosity to see the dog and the stag running, an unlikely combination in their natural habitat.

On and on they ran for what was likely a couple of hours, but in reality was less than one. They finally came to a clearing in the trees overlooking another small wizarding village. Padfoot looked back at Prongs and then seamlessly shifted back into Sirius. Prongs followed suit, morphing into James.

'Welcome to Ravenville,' Sirius said, inhaling deeply as if tasting the air for the first time.

'I've never been—heard about it plenty, mind you,' James said as they began walking down the grassy hill into town.

'If you couldn't guess, this was the birthplace of Rowena Ravenclaw. It was originally named something awful—Latrine, perhaps—but they renamed it in her honor,' Sirius said knowledgably.

'Sounds like a good change, Professor,' James replied with a smirk.

'Shut it,' Sirius said with a laugh.

James grinned. 'No, seriously—you and Moony would both make good professors. You could teach Muggle Studies, with those magazines you insist are part of the approved curriculum,' he said with a laugh of his own.

Sirius barked with laughter. 'Unless one of you or fair Ms. Evans is able to provide proof to the contrary on that one, we'll just have to accept that I'm right.'

'Maybe you should get into Magical Law,' James joked.

'Merlin's beard, no,' Sirius scoffed. 'I want to do some good in the world. Like knocking off some Death Eaters,' he added in a wistful tone.

James sighed. 'Harder than it seems,' he muttered.

'We held our own pretty well the other night! I'm telling you—if you and I ever get the chance to tag-team Rochefort, he won't know what hit him,' Sirius said bracingly.

James smiled faintly. 'I get the feeling he's going to try and get each of us alone,' he muttered.

'Possibly. There's my old idea of a permanent sticking charm to combat that, though,' Sirius replied.

'We'd have a hard time dueling him if we were stuck to one another,' James pointed out.

'Buzz kill,' Sirius muttered as they walked down the streets of Ravenville.

'So how far away from Rowena's house are we?' James asked.

Sirius smiled. 'Not far,' he said cheerfully.

'You're positively radiant, you know that?' James said.

'Shut it,' Sirius said again, shoving James as he did so. 'You're just jealous. You know, you could do with a good…' he trailed off.

James cocked an eyebrow at Sirius. 'A good what?'

But Sirius didn't answer, he merely pointed.

'What's with you…?' James asked as he turned and looked in the direction Sirius was pointing and subsequently felt his blood run cold.

Something had just appeared in the sky over a house a street or two over from where James and Sirius stood. A ghostly, terrifying skull with a snake slithering from its mouth. There was no mistaking the Dark Mark in the air.

'Rowena's house is that way,' Sirius said.

'Wands. Let's go,' James said urgently and they both fetched their wands from their pockets and began to run. As they ran down the street, sounds met their ears—cries of fright from residents now stepping out of their homes to see the mark in the sky, other people running much as James and Sirius were, with their wands drawn. Some ushering family members back into their homes and shutting the doors.

They rounded the corner at the end of the street and saw the house. James glanced at Sirius who was white as a sheet and his jaw as clenched. 'Is that Rowena's?' James asked. Sirius gave a curt nod and they sprinted forwards. A crowd had gathered out front and two men were approaching the front door with some trepidation. James and Sirius sped past the crowd and joined the two men.

'Who are you?' one of them asked.

'We're here to help,' James said simply.

The other man glanced at James and did a double take, recognition seeming to flash across his features. 'You're the boy from the papers—Potter,' he said.

'Yeah,' James said simply, astounded at the man's choice of topic when faced with the current situation.

'After you then, you're better at this than me,' the man said, stepping back from the door. The other man did the same, leaving James and Sirius in the front.

'Ready?' James asked. Sirius nodded, saying nothing. James grabbed the door handle and Sirius pointed his wand at the door. 'On three,' James said. 'One…two…_now_.'

He swung the door open and lunged back. Sirius tensed, his wand rapidly pointing up and down the length of the door. 'Nothing,' he whispered and then he stepped inside, James following immediately after. He was dimly aware of the two men behind them waiting on the doorstep—ostensibly to cover it, but more likely because they were terrified.

'You take that way, I've got this one,' Sirius said as he headed towards the kitchen. James turned and veered into the living room and was met with a war zone—furniture was overturned, picture frames had fallen from the walls and shattered, the fireplace had been emptied and soot was all over the place. He then spotted a foot sticking out from behind a sofa.

Glancing around to make sure no one was hiding in plain sight, James quickly and silently moved behind the sofa and found a middle-aged man, crumpled on the floor. His eyes were open, staring at the ceiling—he was dead.

James felt his stomach clench, and the sounds of the world outside seemed to fade. He stared at the eyes of the man lying on the floor in front of him—unblinking, unseeing, unknowing. It wasn't until his instincts told him that someone was behind him that he was able to turn quickly, dropping into a crouch and pointing his wand, but it was only Sirius.

Sirius stared at the man on the floor, evidently as transfixed by his eyes as James had been. 'Mrs. Goldstein is in the kitchen,' he said quietly.

James took a moment to let that sink in. 'Is she…?' he asked.

'Dead,' Sirius said. 'We should check upstairs. You know, for…for uh…' he trailed off, his voice abandoning him.

'I can do it alone,' James offered softly, stepping forward and putting a hand on Sirius' shoulder.

Sirius stared at the floor. 'No,' he said. 'We'll both do it.'

'Okay,' James said. Without another word they circled back to the front of the house where the staircase was—the two mean were still standing on the porch.

'Is anyone hurt?' one of them asked, but James and Sirius paid them no mind. Sirius went first up the stairs, his wand pointed straight ahead, James behind, ready to attack anyone that emerged. The floor split into a T at the top of the staircase, a hallway disappearing down to both their left and right. Sirius cleared his throat. 'Rowena's room is this way,' he said, his voice rasping.

Sirius lead the way and James went back to back, pointing his wand back the way they'd come in case someone was trying to sneak up on them unawares. They arrived at a door, and James spared a glance over his shoulder—a large pink heart had been drawn on the door. 'Rowena's Room', was inscribed on it.

Sirius took a deep breath and reached out to grasp the door handle. He pushed on the door but it didn't budge.

'Locked?' James asked.

'No…I think something's behind it…' Sirius muttered as he gave the door a more bodily shove—it moved a bit, yielding a crack of light from the room beyond, but not much. 'It's blocked,' Sirius said, a note of urgency in his voice now. An attacker could not have left the door blocked from the inside. 'Rowena?' Sirius added in a shout.

James stepped back. 'Get out of the way,' he declared, pointing his wand at the door.

'Rowena if you can hear me, we're blasting the door open! Take cover!' Sirius roared.

The sound of their shouting had finally drawn the other men into the house. They bounded up the stairs as James slashed his wand, the door to Rowena's room splintering down the middle and cracking open. Sirius wasted no time plowing through the wreckage and into the room, James right behind him.

'Rowena,' Sirius breathed and suddenly he was on the floor—Rowena was laying there, unconscious on the ground. James held his breath as Sirius leaned his head over hers, his hand on her neck—checking for breath, a pulse, any sign of life.

For a moment that seemed to last an eternity, nothing happened and no one moved. James and the two men stared at Sirius.

Then, his head snapped up and he looked at James. 'She's alive. Get help—quickly.'


	30. Resolutions and Ideas

A/N: It is with great pride that I announce that my second son was born on March 25, 2013 at 1:05PM. His mother, father and big brother are all thrilled to welcome him to the world. Thanks to everyone who's expressed well wishes over the last little while. And now…on with the story.

30

James stared silently at the wall across the hallway from where he sat in St. Mungo's hospital. Not long after they had arrived, Rowena's older brother Andrew had shown up. He and Sirius had gone into Rowena's room and not re-emerged.

Among the party of Aurors who had arrived at the Goldsteins' house had been Alastor Moody, who had taken in the sight of James and Sirius with a look that might have been amused had the situation not been so grave. He had escorted them to St. Mungo's and then headed off to inform James' parents that they had arrived.

So now James sat waiting, feeling equally horrible on multiple fronts. On the one hand, Rowena was lying in critical condition in the room just beside him. His best friend was in there, going through his own emotional turmoil. And on another level, James didn't particularly want to think about his mother's reaction upon discovering that he and Sirius had snuck off once again.

It was therefore with great relief that he saw Remus and Peter pelting up the corridor towards him. 'Are you alright?' Remus half-shouted from almost fifty yards away as they made their way down the hallway. 'All Moody told us was that you were at St. Mungo's and somebody—some people—were killed?' he panted as they stopped in front of James.

'Rowena's parents are dead,' James said. The words came out badly, but he could think of no way to sugar coat the news. Remus' jaw clenched and Peter took on a slightly green hue.

'How?' Remus asked in a soft voice.

'Death Eaters,' James said bitterly. 'The Dark Mark was hanging over the house.'

'What—what about Rowena?' Peter asked in a sickly tone.

'She's alive. She's in there with Sirius and her brother,' James said.

'Did she say anything?' Remus asked.

James shook his head. 'She wasn't conscious. She didn't wake up on the way here, either,' James said. 'Where's my parents?'

'They're not far behind us,' Remus said. The words were barely out of his mouth when Mr. and Mrs. Potter appeared at the end of the hall, jogging their way down. James stepped away from Remus and Peter and braced himself for a profound apology.

'Mom, I'm so—' he began, but she crushed him into a hug.

'Thank Merlin you're safe,' she said, her eyes wet as she pulled away from him and cupped his face in her hands. 'Death Eaters so close to home again—'

'Aren't you…mad?' James asked.

'I'm livid,' Mrs. Potter said with a small sob. 'But there's time for that later. Right now, I'm just glad you're safe,' she said and she hugged him again. James looked over her shoulder at his father who looked rather ill himself.

'Alastor told us that you and Sirius cleared the house,' he said. 'That no one else would. That was very brave,' Mr. Potter said. 'You might have even saved Ms. Goldstein's life.'

'But you would have seen…' Mrs. Potter began.

'Her parents. Yeah,' James said, looking at the floor. 'Her Dad was in the living room. I found him.'

'What about her mother?' Mr. Potter asked, ignoring a horrified look from James' own mother.

'Kitchen,' James replied.

Mr. Potter rubbed his chin. 'They were taken by surprise,' he said. 'Sounds like they were scattered all over the house—no chance to pull together and take a stand.'

'Can you take off the Auror hat for just a moment?' Mrs. Potter asked.

'Sorry,' Mr. Potter said quietly and he sat down in a chair, heaving a great sigh as he did so. This was only to stand up again a moment later as another large party appeared at the end of the hall. James instantly recognized several of them—the tall, imposing figure of the Minister for Magic, Millicent Bagnold, lead the way. Neat and proper Bartemius Crouch walked a little bit behind her, with Madam Bones by his side. Alastor Moody brought up the rear, glancing into each room as they passed, apparently surveying for threats.

'Minister,' Mr. Potter said as the group came up to them.

'Mr. Potter,' Bagnold replied, shaking his hand. 'I've only received a brief summary. I still can't quite believe it—Janine and Arthur, dead…' she said.

It occurred to James that these were the names of Rowena's parents. Details he had never known—he felt a pit in his stomach that he knew was guilt. These were questions he had never asked of Sirius.

'And James was first on the scene, correct?' Crouch asked as he too shook Mr. Potter's hand.

'Sirius and I, yes,' James said in as strong a voice as he could manage.

'Where is Mr. Black now?' Crouch asked.

James inclined his head towards the door. 'In there,' he said. 'With Rowena and her brother.'

'The three of them were scattered throughout the house,' Mr. Potter said in a low murmur to Bagnold. 'They can't have had any warning—and possibly only seconds to realize they were under attack.'

Moody scowled. 'Janine was certainly caught off guard. Kitchen was virtually untouched. I think Arthur put up a fight, given the state of the living room. Probably gave the girl enough time to seal herself in her room.'

'And she was unconscious when she was found, yes?' Bagnold asked.

'That's correct,' Moody replied.

'Must have been caught by a spell through the door,' Bagnold sighed heavily. 'Which would mean they just started firing off spells indiscriminately. Was anyone else hurt in the cross fire?'

'No,' Bones piped up. 'I did a door-to-door of the immediate vicinity. A couple of broken windows and burns to houses, but no one else was hurt.'

Bagnold nodded. 'We'll take any silver linings we can get at this point,' she said with a sigh. 'I guess all we can do now is wait for the healers to work their magic on young Ms. Goldstein.'

Mr. Potter cleared his throat—James would have missed it had he not been looking, but he caught Mr. Potter catching the minister's eye and tossing James the merest half-glance.

'James,' Bagnold said and he looked at the minster. 'It's entirely possible that Ms. Goldstein wouldn't be with us now if you hadn't arrived. Yours and Sirius' actions possibly saved her life. So it appears that we are indebted to you.'

James felt his cheeks grow red. 'We just did what anyone else would have done.'

Moody chuckled darkly. 'Not as high on himself as some would have us believe, is he?'

'That's enough,' Crouch said firmly, but Moody had a distinct smirk. James knew exactly who he was referring to; he had been wondering why Dolores Umbridge had not accompanied this group to the hospital.

Just then, the door to Rowena's room opened and Sirius stepped out. His face was haunted, but he offered a half-smile to James. 'She's awake. Andrew says one person can go in to ask her about what happened.'

Bagnold glanced at Crouch. 'I think Madam Bones would be best suited,' he said. The Minister nodded and Bones disappeared into the room. Bagnold placed a hand on Sirius' shoulder. 'Are you alright, Mr. Black?'

'M'fine,' Sirius said in low voice. The Minister apparently interpreted this as a sign that he did not wish to talk, as she, Crouch and Moody stood off to the side of the corridor and began speaking in low voices. Mr. and Mrs. Potter joined them.

'How are you?' Peter asked earnestly, putting a hand on Sirius' shoulder in an odd mimic of Bagnold's gesture.

Sirius sighed. 'I dunno. Okay. I'm glad she's alright. Shocked about her family…'

'What did she say when she woke up?' Remus asked.

'Not much. She doesn't remember much, either,' Sirius said. 'Just her father yelling, and a vague recollection of barricading her door. Then nothing.'

Remus shook his head. 'So fast,' he murmured, but he had a confused expression on his face.

'What are you thinking?' James asked in a low voice, so as not to attract the attention of the others across the hallway.

'I don't know if now's the time to speculate…' Remus said with a glance at Sirius.

Sirius snorted. 'I have my big boy underpants on, Moony. Hit me with your best shot,' he said dryly.

Remus smiled thinly. 'Alright then,' he said. 'Why leave her alive?' he asked.

'Leave her alive?' James asked. 'Looks to me like they tried pretty hard to kill her.'

'These are Death Eaters,' Remus said simply. 'If they want to kill someone, they kill someone.'

Peter scratched his chin. 'But we know the killing curse can't pass through solid objects—if she locked the door, they'd have to get through it.'

'And the killing curse explodes solid objects,' Remus said.

'So what are you saying? They left her alive on purpose?' James asked.

Remus shrugged. 'Something just isn't fitting right,' he said slowly.

'What reason could they have for leaving her alive?' Sirius asked sceptically.

'I can think of one,' James muttered and all eyes turned on him. 'To torment her. Knowing that her parents are dead and she's not.'

Peter looked green again. 'That's awful,' he said.

Remus was looking at James knowingly. 'I can think of someone who would do something like that,' he said.

'So can I,' James said flatly. 'This whole thing has Rochefort's finger prints all over it. I don't think it's a coincidence that Rowena's family got picked. She's close to Sirius, Sirius is close to me.'

Peter looked aghast. 'So now he's just randomly taking out people who he thinks are close to us?'

'Looks that way,' Sirius muttered angrily. 'We really need to end this rat.'

'Easier said than done,' Remus said calmly. 'But we should really let your parents know our theory, so they can let the Aurors know.'

'Who said anything about Aurors?' Sirius said in a dark voice.

Remus gave Sirius a look that was equal parts sympathetic and stern. 'He's a killer, Sirius. He's murdered a lot of incredibly skilled witches and wizards.'

'Everyone's number comes up at some point,' Sirius said defensively.

'I think we should leave it to the Aurors,' Peter said quickly. He then pretended not to notice the withering glare that Sirius gave him.

'How about a compromise?' James suggested. 'We can let the Aurors know. But that doesn't need to stop us from trying to sort this out ourselves, either.'

Remus pinched the bridge of his nose with his forefinger and thumb. 'You're trying to give me an aneurysm, aren't you?' he said.

'Moony, what did we do when Rochefort kidnapped Sirius?' James asked in a calm voice.

Remus opened his eyes and looked at James warily. 'We went to save him,' he said. 'If he had one of you, there would be no question, James—'

'—he has all of us, Remus,' James said firmly. 'He has us all living in fear. He has people we don't even know scared. He's murdering people at random just to try and make us twitch. Something needs to be done about it.'

Remus bit his lip and glanced over at where the minister and her party were standing. 'If it were possible,' he said, lowering his voice even more. 'How would you suggest we do it? Contacting him is going to be near impossible. You don't just ring him up on the Floo network.'

'I've already thought of a way,' James said.

Sirius, Remus and Peter all looked at him in surprise. 'How?' they all asked in one hushed voice.

James folded his arms. 'He seems to hear things that go on in our school. The championship, our pranks—he seems to know it all. Someone at the school is passing him information.'

'So you want to…what? Go around blabbing to anyone who will listen that you want to meet up for a set-to? Ignoring how insane that is, the teachers—Dumbledore—would put a stop to it instantly. You might even be suspended from school,' Remus said.

'I care about being suspended from school now?' James asked.

'You ought to,' Remus said. 'Professor Zharkov is giving you private lessons—lessons that are supposed to help against Rochefort and Voldemort,' he said.

Sirius had been staring at the wall, but now he looked at them. 'That's it,' he said. 'Prongs—you said Zharkov told you he's encountered Rochefort in the past.'

'Yeah…' James said.

'So that's it. We get to Zharkov.'

Remus cocked an eyebrow. 'And why would he do that?'

'He's freely admitted that he wants to help James to be able to defeat Rochefort—that he thinks it's going to come down to a fight to the death between them,' Sirius said. 'So we ask for his help to set the stage.'

'Sounds like a plan to me,' James agreed.


	31. Reunions and Words

31

_The faces were everywhere around him. Professor Artemis Bowen was first, cut down in a ring of fire as screams echoed through James' head. Next was Engelland, reaching an arm out for James as his head fell from his shoulders, blood pouring from his eyes as it fell out of view. Other faces flashed past—ones that bore a resemblance to Frank Longbottom, perhaps his family that had been murdered by Rochefort. _

_A hand grabbed his shoulder, pulling him roughly away. 'Come on, Potter! We have to go!' it was Lily, hauling him bodily backwards. But behind her, from the shadows themselves, emerged the spectre of Gilles Rochefort, his magical eye glinting in some unseen light, his human eye alive with malice. James didn't even have time to open his mouth to warn her—he saw Rochefort's lips move, a flash of green light—_

'Rise and shine, Prongs!' came a shout and something smacked James hard in the head. He awoke with a start, his breathes coming in ragged gasps as he bolted upright in bed. Sirius was grinning at him, but the grin faltered slightly when he saw the look on James' face. 'You alright?' he asked.

'Yes,' James said, too quickly. Sirius was plainly unconvinced. 'I'm fine,' James added, adding a strained smile. 'Just a bad dream.'

'Best not to dwell on dreams,' Remus said wisely from across the room, where he was packing the last of his things into his rucksack. They were due in London today to board the Hogwarts Express back to school. Remus and Peter had stayed with the Potters so that they might all head in together, not that there was an option anymore—the Ministry of Magic had mandated that students must travel in groups of at least three when not accompanied by a teacher.

'She'll be at the platform today, mate,' Sirius said bracingly, as if he'd just read James' mind. It was no secret amongst them that James was worrying himself sick about Lily, from whom they had had no contact whatsoever over the course of the holiday. 'You'll see.'

'Full of stories from North America, too, I'll bet,' Peter added in a squeak.

'Hopefully none of them involve Rochefort,' James sighed as he swung his feet out of bed and ruffled his perpetually messy hair. He grabbed his glasses from his bedside table and put them on his face. 'How long until we roll out?'

'Five minutes, now,' Remus said. 'Your mother came to wake us up an hour ago. You faked like you were getting up and laid back down the second the door closed.'

James smiled genuinely now. 'It's my go-to move—works like a charm. Especially when I've got you lot making noise to cover the fact that I'm still asleep.'

'Happy to be of service,' Remus said dryly as he buckled his rucksack shut. 'But now, we all get to watch you scramble to pack.'

'Watch away,' James said with a grin. He gave one lazy flick of his wand—Remus had to duck as dresser drawers opened behind him, belching clothes out into the room. They flew around and whipped into James' own rucksack. Peter was not so quick as Remus—he was struck in the back of the head by a flying Potions textbook as it made its way to James' bag, causing Sirius to bark with laughter.

'It's not fair,' Peter moaned as he rubbed his head. 'Even away from school, Potions is still giving me headaches.'

They were still chortling about that when they went downstairs, Sirius taking a turn to show off by magically levitating all of their bags down the stairs. This time, Mr. Potter was nearly their victim as he came around the corner, his face buried in the _Daily Prophet_. James was about to shout a warning, but Mr. Potter ducked without even glancing up from the paper, allowing the bags to fly over his head. Sirius, whose mouth had formed a giant 'O' of horror, now clapped in amazement. 'Nicely done, Mr. Potter!'

'Have a care with your tricks, Sirius. Your next bystander might not be so lucky,' Mr. Potter said, still not glancing up from the paper as he headed to the kitchen.

'Eyes in the back of his head, that one,' Sirius said as he slashed his wand, causing all of their rucksacks to land with a loud clatter by the front door. He grimaced. 'Still haven't mastered the touchdown.'

Peter looked green. 'I noticed that when I rode in your motorcycle,' he said, clearly nauseous at the memory.

Sirius waved a hand dismissively. 'You're just a nervous flyer. I make that motorcycle dance,' he said.

'Perhaps if the person dancing was tone-deaf and club-footed,' Peter muttered, evoking laughs from James and Remus this time as Sirius turned slightly red. He was still thinking of a retort when Mrs. Potter appeared.

'Leave it to you four to spend the whole time packing and missing breakfast,' she said. She forced baked goods onto them—lemony tarts, pumpkin scones, and delicious sweetbreads, all wrapped in small bags. 'Fortunately I thought ahead—portable snacks,' she declared.

'You're the best, Mum,' James said, leaning over to peck her on the cheek. He wasn't quite sure when he had surpassed her in height, but it made for a disconcerting sensation all the same.

'You understand that, at least,' Mrs. Potter said with a smile. 'Sirius, be a dear and pick up those bags and bring them to the living room.'

Sirius looked crestfallen. 'We're not flying to London?' he asked.

Mrs. Potter smiled. 'As much as James' father might appreciate the antics, the Statute of Secrecy clearly states—'

'We're sorry we asked,' James interrupted. It was no great secret that Mrs. Potter had been outraged upon learning that Mr. Potter had allowed James and Sirius to fly home from London in broad daylight the previous year.

Mrs. Potter pursed her lips. 'The Ministry has opened a Floo Station directly on Platform 9 and ¾ specifically for this purpose, today,' she said. 'It will be by far the safest way to travel. Come on, now. The train leaves in fifteen minutes.'

They all headed from the living room where Mr. Potter had eased himself into his reading chair with the Daily Prophet. James glanced the headline on the front page—'ATTEMPTED BREAK-IN AT GRINGOTTS'—before Mr. Potter put the paper aside and stood. 'It should go without saying,' he said with a great sigh. 'But be careful. Don't do anything I wouldn't do.'

Mrs. Potter grimaced. 'They leaves them far too much room to manoeuver, dear,' she said.

'True enough,' Mr. Potter replied. He embraced James and sighed. 'Just be careful. In whatever you do, son—be careful.'

'I will,' James promised.

'I won't,' Sirius declared roguishly, grinning until he caught Mrs. Potter's eyes. 'Er—I won't let him be un-careful,' he amended hastily. Remus snorted softly.

'At least I can count on the two of you to keep James and Sirius in line,' Mrs. Potter said kindly to Remus and Peter.

'Four hundred and eighty third time the charm?' Remus said to Peter who giggled nervously.

James stepped into the fireplace first, accepting a handful of powder from his mother as Sirius shoved his rucksack in next to him. 'I'll see you soon,' he promised his parents. 'Platform 9 and ¾!' he announced loudly, dropping the powder and watching as his world disappeared into a spinning fugue of green fire.

A moment later, he emerged from what appeared to be a giant oven overlooking the platform. He no sooner grabbed his rucksack, then he was hastily yanked out by a lanky Ravenclaw prefect. 'Clear the way, clear the way,' the Ravenclaw said in a bored tone of voice. James wondered how the prefects had drawn this undesired assignment.

His eyes took in the platform which was bustling with activity. He saw faces both familiar and not, but it was only one person that he was looking force—the mane of fiery red hair, the brilliant green eyes—but Lily Evans was nowhere to be seen.

'No sign of her yet?' Sirius' voice came behind him. James turned just as Peter was appearing in the giant oven, only to be hastily yanked out to make way for Remus. 'She may well be on the train already,' Sirius said reassuringly. 'You know how she is—she probably showed up yesterday and has been studying on the train ever since.'

James smiled nervously. He finally spotted someone he wanted to talk to—Frank Longbottom towered over those around him, and Alice Dearborn was predictably cozied up under one of his tree-trunk arms. James shouldered through the crowd, the Marauders at his side.

'Hullo!' Alice called, spotting them first as they approached. Frank saw them and his eyes lit up as he waved with the arm that was not around Alice. 'Glad to see you in one piece,' Alice said, detaching herself from Frank long enough to embrace James. 'We heard about what happened.' She turned her gaze to Sirius. 'How are you?'

Sirius smiled as best he could. 'Fine, thanks,' he said in a most un-Sirius-like serious tone.

'Have you seen Evans?' James blurted.

Frank sighed and reached into his pocket, extracting a few coins and slapping them into Alice's outstretched palm. 'You win, you little monster,' Frank said with a sigh.

'You wagered on me?' James asked.

'The over-under on how long it would take for you to ask about Lily,' Alice said with a smile. 'I picked the under.'

'A grievous error on my part,' Frank said with a grin.

'So…have you?' James asked.

'For a Quidditch star, you have a terrible case of tunnel vision, Potter,' came a light voice from behind him.

James turned in what felt like slow motion. The first thing to reach the corner of his gaze was the fiery red hair which seemed to fly elegantly in the breeze of the platform. Next were the green eyes, which were crinkled with amusement as her face broke into a smile.

For once, James didn't stop to consider what to say. He simply stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her, embracing her tight.

'Nice to see you, Silly Lily,' Sirius said.

'Didn't I threaten to knock your teeth out if you called me that again?' Lily said in a strained voice as James' hug lifted her off the ground.

'I seem to recall it was something more to the effect of you sticking my textbooks up my—' but his retort was drowned out by a blow of the train's whistle.

'We'd better get aboard,' Remus said.

'I'd love to, but I'm trapped,' Lily said. James finally unhanded her, putting her down and she smiled at him. 'I guess you missed me.'

James finally found his voice. 'You missed me too,' he declared.

'Did not,' Lily replied coyly.

James chuckled. 'You should leave the lying to me, Evans—you're lousy at it.'

Lily's pleasant laugh seemed to accompany them onto the train. James suddenly felt as if he were light as a feather and didn't have a care in the world. That came to an abrupt end only seconds later when Lily said, 'I heard about Rowena.'

Sirius grunted. He had said less than three sentences about the whole ordeal since leaving St. Mungo's that day, when they had made their pact about Rochefort.

'I saw her,' Lily added.

Sirius whirled, Peter dropped his bag, Remus' mouth dropped open and James' eyes widened in surprise. 'You did?' Sirius blurted.

Lily nodded. 'Headed for the Prefects' car. You and I had better head their pretty soon, Moony,' she said to Remus.

James glanced at Sirius. 'Did you know she was coming?'

Sirius shook his head. 'Her—her brother told me he was going to keep her home.'

'Looks like she didn't feel the same way,' Remus said. 'Do you want to come along with us to see her?'

Sirius looked torn. 'I—after her rounds. I shouldn't distract her from doing what she has to do,' he said in a quiet voice.

'Very mature of you,' Lily said kindly as they came upon an empty cabin. She deposited her own bags inside. 'Hope you don't mind if I sit with you lot?'

'Not at all,' James said. Remus put his own rucksack down and then headed off up the train with Lily, leaving James, Sirius and Peter to sit down.

'What's up, Padfoot?' James asked quietly.

Sirius shook his head. 'I'd—I'd resolved myself to not seeing her this term. Her brother was adamant that she wouldn't be coming back. I haven't prepared…I'm not ready…'

'For what?' Peter asked.

'I don't know what to say to her. How to help her. What do you say to someone whose gone through what she did?' Sirius said meekly.

James was about to respond when a knock on the door sounded. They all glanced up as the door slid aside to reveal Severus Snape. His beady black eyes swept over Sirius and Peter and landed on James.

'Oh come on, already?' Sirius asked, standing up and reaching for his wand.

'Sirius, don't,' James said firmly. Snape hadn't moved. 'What do you want, Snape?' James asked, taking care to avoid calling him Snivellus.

'A word,' Snape said.

'You can have a few,' Sirius said with a snarl.

Snape's eyes flicked to Sirius. 'Much as I would enjoy putting you in your place, Black, Potter and I are overdue to have a certain conversation.'

James' eyebrows shot up. 'Here? Now?' he asked.

'No, and no,' Snape said. 'Come with me. Alone.'


	32. Warnings and Preparations

32

It was with trepidation that James followed Snape out of the cabin, down the hall of the car, and out onto one of the adjoining sections of the train where the wind howled as the Hogwarts Expressed whistled through the countryside.

'I seem to recall stipulating that Evans be here to witness this,' James protested as he folded his arms.

Snape cut an oddly impressive figure in the wind, his ragged black cloaks swirling around him, his greasy black hair for once whipping wild and free of his sallow, pale face. But his beady black eyes were unmoving as he looked at James with a familiar gaze—one of undisguised contempt. _And he means for us to be friends?_ James thought with a bemused feeling.

'I am aware of everything you demanded of Lily,' Snape replied. 'That's not what this is about. We have more important things to discuss.'

James cocked an eyebrow. 'Such as?'

Snape seemed to be struggling with words. After a moment or two, he finally began speaking in a monotonous, flat voice. _He's rehearsed this_, James realized. 'I need to ask you a favour. I need you to remain by Lily's side at all times whilst you are in Gryffindor Tower.'

James blinked. 'Is this some kind of joke?' he asked.

'Do you see me laughing?' Snape sneered.

James folded his arms. 'Not that I find it a difficult request, but it certainly begs the question—why?'

'This isn't a conversation where you get to ask me questions,' Snape said stiffly.

'Oh, so you give me an order and expect me to follow it unquestioningly?' James said irritably.

'You have never before objected to stalking Lily around the school grounds like a lovesick puppy,' Snape said in a clipped tone.

'Nor have you,' James reminded him.

'And I would happily do this myself, but in case it has slipped your notice, I cannot enter Gryffindor Tower without invitation, and that is about as likely as Sirius Black becoming Minister for Magic,' Snape said.

_He's afraid for her_, James realized. 'What have you heard, Snape?' he asked.

'This isn't a conversation—' Snape began again, but James stepped forward and cut him off.

'I do get to ask questions,' James hissed at him. 'Let's not pretend like we don't know what you're doing and why. You want to protect Evans, but you think Voldemort is going to be on the winning side so you're throwing your lot in with him. You've _heard something_, Snape—tell me what it is.'

Snape's eyes blazed with anger. 'Little and less,' he said as if each word were being wrenched from him. 'They mean to make attempts on students in their very dormitories.'

'How?' James asked, thunderstruck.

'If I knew, I'd take steps to protect Lily myself,' Snape snarled.

'And they've named her specifically, haven't they?' James asked, although he already knew the answer.

'Yes,' Snape said stiffly.

James chewed on that for a moment. 'I can be with her everywhere but in the girls' dormitory. You know as well as I do that I can't get in there.'

'Then make sure she is not alone. Tell Dearborn. She's foolish enough to oppose the Dark Lord, but no one can doubt either her loyalty or her skill,' Snape said.

'Why aren't you telling Lily all of this yourself?' James asked.

At that, Snape stepped forward. 'You heard none of this from me,' he breathed. 'Do you understand me, Potter? _Not a word. _I don't care what you have to tell her—that you got it from your father, from the Ministry, or that it's just a hunch—you've proven yourself a capable liar in the past, so make something up and _make her believe it_.'

James wrinkled his nose. 'Why should I lie for you?'

'Use that thing between your ears, Potter,' Snape said slowly, as if he were talking to a child. 'She has made it more than clear that my continued…affiliations…would mean the end of our friendship.'

'Have you tried telling her your angle? That this is all to keep her safe?'

'You know as well as I do how well that would go over. Do you appreciate the fact that I am giving you this information or not?' Snape snapped.

James begrudgingly looked out at the passing landscape. 'I'll figure out some excuse,' he muttered. 'But I don't think it's right to lie to her.'

'Ah, because you never have, is that the way of it?' Snape's eyes were slits. He stepped forward. 'Just because I haven't yet caught you at it, doesn't mean I don't know what you're all doing at night—or what Lupin is,' he hissed.

James' hand twitched for his wand, a movement that Snape noticed. 'Careful. You wouldn't want to violate our little ceasefire, would you?'

'You're a filthy little snake, Snape,' James said. 'This whole ceasefire is just a game to you, isn't it?'

'No less than it is to you,' Snape replied. 'There's a saying about people in glass houses, Potter. Old muggle expression. Maybe you've heard Lily say it? No? More's the pity,' he flashed a yellow-toothed smile which vanished almost instantly. 'Remember—someone is to be with her at all times. If any harm should come to her, you're the one I'm holding accountable.'

James smiled coldly. 'Likewise,' he said. 'It would seem that since you know some of these people, you are far better situated to do something about it than I am, jumping at shadows,' he said.

'You never learn, do you?' Snape said in a hiss. 'Wear your heart on your sleeve and prepared to have it cut to pieces. Conceal it and what is within it, and you can survive long enough to do something of real importance.'

With that, Snape shouldered past James and left him standing there in the whistling wind. James stared out at the passing countryside, and he was still there when Remus and Lily arrived on their way back to the trolley car. 'James,' Remus said in surprise. 'We thought you'd be on your eighth chocolate frog by now—food cart's already come and gone?'

'Oh, I didn't get a chance,' James said automatically, pushing away from the railing and drinking in the site of Lily Evans once more. She didn't fail to notice the way he was looking at her—her cheeks reddened slightly. 'Good Prefects meeting?' he asked.

'More of the same,' Lily said. 'What are you doing out here?' she asked.

'Oh—ah—well—you see—' James was stammering. 'Snape wanted a word,' he said after a moment.

Lily and Remus' faces became mirroring masks of surprise. 'He did?' they both said at once.

'Yes,' James said. _Stupid, stupid, stupid,_ he was thinking.

'…and what was it?' Lily asked expectantly.

'He—uh—wanted to wish us luck in our Quidditch Match,' James said.

Remus regarded him dubiously, but Lily's face broke into a smile. 'You see? You two are well on your way to being friends!' she said.

'That's us, alright,' James murmured, casting a minor glance at Remus who pursed his lips but said nothing. Lily lead the way back to their cabin in the trolley car, but she and Remus had to continue on to do their rounds. Sirius and Peter waited for the door to close before lunging in with questions.

'Did he pull his wand?' Sirius asked.

'Did he insult you?' Peter said.

'Did he threaten a prank?' Sirius asked.

'Did he threaten to hurt me?' Peter squeaked.

'Shut up the both of you,' James chuckled as Sirius cast an irritated glance at Peter. 'It was nothing like that. Listen…' and he told the both of them.

Sirius was on his feet the moment James was done. 'He's a Death Eater, I knew it,' he snarled.

'He's not even out of school! Why would You Know Who want a student?' Peter squeaked.

'Why would _Voldemort _want a student, you mean?' Sirius sneered. 'I don't know, why don't we ask Prongs here, Wormtail? He certainly tried hard enough to get him and Evans for a few years!'

'I'd forgotten,' Peter squeaked.

'Lucky you,' Sirius said savagely.

'Alright, Padfoot, that's enough,' James said as Peter wilted under Sirius' fierce gaze. 'He may not be a Death Eater yet, but it's clear he knows some things,' James said firmly. 'So we need to make sure we don't look the gift dragon in the mouth here. We need to be on Evans at all times.'

It seemed Sirius couldn't help himself. 'Sounds like you get to fulfill your lifelong dream, then. Wotcher, now!' he shouted as James hurled a chocolate frog at his head. 'Only joking,' he added with a smile. 'Of course we'll look out for her.'

'Is she the only one being threatened?' Peter asked.

Sirius looked as if he were praying for patience. 'Does everything need to be about you, Peter?' he asked through gritted teeth.

'I'm not asking for _me, _I'm asking for _James_,' Peter said indignantly.

'He couldn't say,' James said.

'Couldn't or wouldn't?' Sirius said, his eyes narrowing.

'Probably a bit of both,' James admitted.

'What does Lily think of his consorting?' Sirius asked.

'She doesn't know,' James replied.

Sirius blinked. 'Well, that's the game then! You've got him by the short hairs! Tell Lily and that'll be the end of them,' he said excitedly.

'I can't do that,' James replied.

'Why the bloody hell not?' Sirius countered.

'Would you rather we have no idea what's coming?' James asked.

Sirius' eyes bugged out of his head. 'You can't be serious,' he hissed.

'Of course I'm not, you are,' James said.

'I am so not joking, James,' Sirius said. 'You cannot even be _considering _using him as source for information going forward!'

'Why not? Longbottom has sources,' James defended.

'But not _Snivellus_!' Sirius hissed. 'It's dirty! It's underhanded! It's…it's…'

'…exactly the sort of thing the Marauders would do,' Peter said quietly. James and Sirius both looked at him and he turned red, but clearly felt he'd said too much to shut up now. 'We pull pranks. We lie. We're deceitful. And to what end? To protect people. Right? Wasn't that what we agreed to do when we decided to become Marauders? When we first started designing the Map? So now we know someone who can give us legitimate information that can actually protect some people. How—how big of us would it be to let our pride get in the way of that?'

Sirius opened his mouth as if to protest and then shut it again. He glared at the floor for a long moment, but then nodded begrudgingly. 'Good point, Wormtail,' he said in a barely audible voice.

'Well put,' James added, and Peter smiled slightly.

'So what happens now, then?' Sirius asked after a moment.

James sighed. 'Now, we pretty much have to watch and wait,' he said. 'And be ready. Whatever's coming, it's got to be big if they think they can pull it off inside of the castle.'

'Can they get in?' Peter asked. 'How would they even do it? No one's managed to do it before.'

James remembered something. 'I know another place no one has managed to break into,' he said. 'Gringotts.'

'So?' Sirius asked.

'It was the headline in the papers this morning,' James said, standing up. 'There was an attempted break-in at Gringotts.'

'You think there's a connection?' Sirius asked.

'I don't know if I believe in coincidences,' James said. 'And if it's possible for someone to break into Gringotts, it's possible for someone to break into Hogwarts.'

'But wasn't it unsuccessful? You said _attempted_,' Peter said in a fearful voice.

'Practice makes perfect,' James said in a dark voice as he glanced out the window once more at the passing countryside. 'If I were getting ready to break into Hogwarts, I'd certainly pick a few well-guarded places to practice my craft on.'

'Where the hell is Moony when you need him,' Sirius muttered. 'He'd have this all figured out in a few minutes.'

'Parts of it, maybe. But no matter how much we piece together, we won't know the key pieces,' James said glumly.

'What's that?'

'When it's going to happen, and who the attacker is going to be,' James replied.


End file.
